US-Iran memorandum expires August 17, 2026 — it broke after ten days

This page has covered the Strait of Hormuz four times in August — counting transits, tracking oil, checking a presidential map post.

The document all of those events sat on expired on August 17.

1. What the memorandum contained

The 60 days were a deadline for negotiating, not for ending the war. That distinction governs everything that followed. The memorandum was not a peace agreement; it was a document that bought time to build one.

2. When it broke

The expiry date is August 17. The document stopped functioning long before that.

Ten days out of sixty. That is how long the document worked as written. The remaining fifty were spent waiting for the expiry of something already broken.

3. What actually divided them

The central dispute narrows to one question: who controls transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

The memorandum had Iran clearing mines and permitting safe passage "with no charge." Iran read that as permission to transit along routes Iran designates. The United States read it as a statement that an international waterway carries no such designation power.

In May 2026 Iran had established a "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" (PGSA) and declared that no vessel could pass without a PGSA-issued permit. The memorandum said nothing about that body. Its silence became the fault line.

Iran's own list of violations runs elsewhere: US strikes on civilian infrastructure in July, and continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon despite the ceasefire clause covering that front. Washington's list is the June 25 attack on the Ever Lovely and Iran's insistence on route control.

Each side used the other's breach to justify suspending its own obligations. In that structure, establishing who stopped first becomes its own dispute.

4. Where things stand

• The White House said on August 17 it would not seek an extension.
• President Trump called on Tehran to raise "the white flag of surrender."
• Iran's foreign ministry announced a shift to a "fully offensive" military posture, citing repeated US violations.
• Pakistan is attempting to restart direct talks. No sign of revival is confirmed.
• The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping. In early August, daily transits ran far below the roughly 73 vessels a day of normal conditions.

5. What remains open

• The $300 billion package. Beyond the headline figure, funding structure and disbursement conditions are not visible in the published text.
• The blockade clause. Whether the US lifted its naval blockade within 30 days is not established.
• Casualty figures. The "at least 50" for July is an Iranian claim reported in the press, not independently verified.
• Transit counts on expiry day. Not confirmed for August 17.

Measured transit data appears in "Hormuz transits fall to zero on Sunday," and the route from the Strait to fuel prices is set out in "Brent vs WTI explained."