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A death few Israelis mourned occurred last week, when President Trump declared the MoU to have passed—quietly, or not so quietly—killed by Iranian fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians have been expressing their grief in two ways: firing on more ships and desperately trying to re-engage in negotiations. Over the weekend, the IRGC attacked another tanker. Claiming the vessel ignored maritime directives, Tehran declared the strategic waterway closed “until further notice,” triggering a massive U.S. counteroffensive early Sunday morning. U.S. forces struck at least 140 Iranian military targets—drone sites, missile launchers and ammunition depots—bringing the total to more than 300 targets hit across three separate operations over the past week. The IRGC answered as they usually do, with wide-ranging missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE. Meanwhile, the U.S. is reviving Operation Economic Fury, sanctioning eight individuals and six entities associated with Iran, including Dubai-based financier Ali Ansari, who oversees assets benefiting Mojtaba Khamenei, other regime elites and the IRGC. Meanwhile, “moderate” Iranians have been blaming the attacks on “errant” hardline factions and requesting a resumption of talks, which the U.S. indulged. There likely is a power struggle inside Iran between more and less hardline factions. A moderating force, however, there is not. The split is not between hawks and doves but between two species of fear: those who fear what the economic damage will do to the regime and the true believers who fear what negotiating with the infidels will do to their place in paradise—and who remain convinced the Americans will fold first. What unites the factions is an inability to compromise on anything that matters. Neither the memorandum of understanding nor the recent rounds of U.S.-Iran talks have bridged the gaps on the key issues of the war: Iran’s control of the strait, Iran’s nuclear program and Israeli operations in Lebanon. Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters last week that the regime considers its control over the strait “important leverage” and that relinquishing it would be tantamount to “surrender.” The sources added that Iran will not discuss its nuclear program unless the United States recognizes Iran’s control over the strait. In short: nothing has changed. Still, the pragmatist wing is very eager to keep sitting down. The New York Times reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian, reportedly fearful of the U.S. blockade and Iran’s deteriorating economy, implored the supreme leader to accept the MoU despite Mojtaba Khamenei’s insistence on retaining control of the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman yesterday to discuss safe passage through the strait with Omani officials. Iran’s neighbors, who cannot afford to wait for negotiations to fail, are choosing sides accordingly. The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait are demanding stronger measures against Iran through the Gulf Cooperation Council, including an international arrangement for free transit backed by an international military initiative to defend the strait. Oman and Qatar, the war’s designated matchmakers, naturally prefer that the diplomacy continue. I hold it as a truism that when a man extends one hand in friendship while slapping you with the other, believe the slap. For once, Washington is returning the favor—shaking Iran’s hand with the left while choking it with the right. As far as I’m concerned, so long as the right hand doesn’t loosen its grip, the left can shake all it likes.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Brent crude oil surges 10% as US-Iran war resumes.

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BREAKING: Trump says the Hormuz Strait is OPEN and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran.