Let me say this again for everyone, Trump is too cowardly to swallow his pride and end the Iran War, this is why Trump is so dangerous.
It isn’t TACO it is Trump Always Escalates Because He Is A Coward.
Oh, fun
That was always the plan
You are correct when you say he refuses to admit defeat; Trump can just walk away and the oil and fertilizer will flow out again albeit with Iranian fees. By contesting Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, he is basically closing the strait. The MOU was an attempt by Trump to regain leverage by using Iran’s own money and using illegal sanctions which can be reimposed in the future. The Strait of Hormuz is huge leverage for Iran, it is something they can have full control over, so the options is you leave Iran to control it, or no oil goes out.
From many angles this war was a bad idea, even to the point his own advisors, both military, and civilian were not enthusiastic, but since the supreme leader makes all the wise decisions, they didn’t resist. Trump is contesting his own defeat; he can’t defeat the Iranians, but tries to impose his will.