Trump Aims to Create "Super Weekend": Hopes to Sign US-Iran Deal Before 80th Birthday

June 12. Donald Trump had been counting on this weekend as a pivotal political win: The World Cup returns to the U.S. on Friday for the first time in 32 years, a UFC boxing match on Sunday aligns with his 80th birthday—with thousands of guests expected at the White House—and he’s set to travel to the G7 Summit in France afterward. His Thursday announcement of a potential “final war agreement” between the U.S. and Iran by the weekend sent market expectations soaring to a fever pitch. On Friday, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency published a detailed draft of a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries; Trump later refuted the draft in a public social media post. Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, analyzed that Trump’s tough rhetoric on Iran is aimed at appeasing domestic hardliners, while his true priority is securing a “victorious exit” from tensions with Tehran. Vaez also revealed that behind the scenes, mediation talks involving teams from Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, and Iran have made substantial progress. Iran’s recent direct strike on Israel— a response to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon—has led the U.S. to recognize that further Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon would trigger harsh Iranian retaliation, drastically raising the cost of America’s commitment to defend Israel. “Trump wants to end the conflict, but he insists on a victorious public image and a safe exit—two goals that are hard to reconcile,” Vaez noted.