Within 24 hours of Trump’s announcement, Iran signalled that ships could still face charges beyond the 60-day window – not “tolls” (a term with clear illegal implications under Article 17 of the Law of the Sea Treaty, which guarantees innocent passage) but “fees for services provided.” The distinction is, as one legal expert put it, “entirely semantic in commercial terms.” Meanwhile, Israel has not stopped attacking Lebanon. The 2026 Lebanon war continues even as Israeli and Lebanese officials hold Washington talks – with Israeli forces conducting strikes near Beirut as recently as 3 June, and another proposed ceasefire on 1 June already under strain. And Iran has yet to publicly confirm the US version of the MOU text, with a physical copy of the document yet to be released by Tehran.
