Trump vowed in March no Iran deal without it. (He didn’t say which side.)

(Originally published June 16 in “What in the World“) Potato, potato.

Trump boasted that his new surrender ceasefire agreement with Iran, the terms of which remain secret, will leave the Strait of Hormuz “permanently toll-free.” What he didn’t say, however, was that Iran will levy a service “fee” instead.

That’s just the latest hole to appear in Trump’s deal before it has even been signed. Another is that it remains unclear just how fast prices will fall for U.S. consumers. While oil prices have dropped to a three-month low, U.S. gasoline prices remain above $4 a gallon ($1.06/liter). Shipping companies, as some predicted, say they’ll wait until they get guarantees from Iran that it won’t attack their ships. And there’s still a global shortage of fertilizer.

The deal is also predicated on Israel holding fire in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he wouldn’t withdraw forces occupying southern Lebanon. Israel wasn’t part of the negotiations with Iran and so Netanyahu suggested he wasn’t bound by the resulting deal. “The struggle has not ended,” he said.

But for Trump, it has, despite having achieved none of the goals he listed at the start of his failed effort. According to Reuters, quoting an unnamed “senior Iranian official,” the U.S. and United Nations will suspend sanctions on Iranian oil sales and release $25 billion of frozen Iranian assets. Trump is even considering a $300 billion reparations investment fund for Iran if it reaches a final compromise on its nuclear weapons program, which the CIA believes Iran has no intention of honoring.

Back in March, Trump boasted that: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” In hindsight, he didn’t specify which side would be surrendering.