[90803] Donald Trump in an interview with 'Axios': The memorandum of understanding with Iran is 'unconditional surrender'

President Trump defends the agreement with Iran: "Unconditional surrender"

In a series of statements published on June 19, 2026, US President Donald Trump defended the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran in an interview with Axios. Trump defined the agreement as a "kind of total surrender" on the part of Tehran, and claimed that the US "defeated Iran completely militarily." According to him, his forces succeeded in imposing an effective naval blockade that paralyzed Iran's capabilities.

Preventing a global economic crisis

Trump revealed that the central consideration behind the agreement was preventing a global economic collapse. As reported in Axios and quoted extensively in Iran International, the President explained that continued massive bombing of Iran for another two or three weeks would not have been useful: "That won't open the Strait of Hormuz... if there is no oil for months, it could cause a global recession."

Disagreements and interpretations

The American government narrative, as presented in the reports of the IRNA news agency identified with the regime in Iran, focuses on Trump's admission that the need for negotiations stemmed from fear for the global economy, while the West emphasizes the military achievement. Channels identified with the "Resistance" like Saberin News emphasized American frustration with the inability to resolve the closing of the strait by military force.

Status of negotiations

According to Deutsche Welle in Persian, the agreement signed after three and a half months of fighting includes a 60-day negotiation period for a final settlement. Trump rejected the criticism from home on Truth Social, noting that "Iran will not get even ten cents" as part of the current understandings, while claiming that they came to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.