28.04.2026 - 02:58 [ Middle East Eye ]

The real reason Iran and the US cannot end the war: Money

n Iranian business newspaper reported in April that reconstruction would take at least 12 years.

“The nuclear issue is honestly Betamax now,”
Alan Eyre, a former member of the US team that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, told MEE, referring to the now obsolete 1975 video cassette player.

“Everyone is talking about what the Iranians are willing to give up. But that is largely a function of what they are willing to get,” he added. „What the Iranians want is money.“

Eyre said there are four ways Iran can be compensated for a deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ends with an agreement on its nuclear programme: reparations, tolling, unblocking frozen assets, and sanctions relief. Of the four, he believes a toll in the Strait of Hormuz is the likeliest path for a deal.