00:02Outside the White House Sunday, it's a typical mix of protesters and out-of-towners who've come
00:07for a look at the heart of the U.S. presidency. Today, there's a special mood, though, after U.S.
00:13President Donald Trump posted a message on social media. He says he has reached a deal with Iran
00:18that will end months of war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic, critical for the global
00:24economy. Trump has said many times that a deal was near, but this time Iran has given its
00:32confirmation via announcements on state TV. A permanent and immediate end to the war and
00:40military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. The U.S. and Iran will sign the deal
00:47Friday. And while full details are unclear, the U.S. will lift a blockade on Iranian ports and
00:53ease sanctions, while the more thorny issue of Iran's nuclear program has been shelved for later.
00:59Both sides are treating the deal as a victory. The reaction to all this at the White House front
01:04gate? A mix of relief, hope, and uncertainty. My reaction is, I hope that this is a real,
01:11sincere peace plan, because we've seen many times, maybe five or six different times, that Donald Trump,
01:19our president, has stated that there is going to be peace between the United States and Iran.
01:26I hope and I pray that this happens. I'm always worried that someone will change their mind or
01:33something will happen to negate the peace deal. The price of gas affects so many things. The price of
01:43living depends on the price of gas. And in the long term, those things are worrying.
01:52Markets have reacted positively. Hopes that stranded oil tankers can resume traffic through the Strait
01:57of Hormuz sent oil prices down during early Monday trading in Asia. Brent crude, the global benchmark,
02:03was down almost 4%. But the peace deal isn't in the clear yet. There are still fears that Israel's
02:12continuing attacks in neighboring Lebanon could derail this tenuous truce. Iran has said that any
02:18agreement should also stop fighting in Lebanon. Israel says it is defending itself from Hezbollah,
02:24an Iranian proxy militia. Even as hints of the U.S.-Iran deal broke on Sunday, Israel stepped up strikes
02:32in southern Lebanon. And so, with days to go before it's signed, there are questions about whether
02:38this deal can really achieve what it's setting out to do, ending more than three months of war that has
02:43engulfed the Middle East and shaken the world economy. Joseph Wu and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
Comments