So now the Strait of Hormuz is closed again, this time because Iran blames Israel for defending itself from attacks by one of Iran’s terrorist proxies, Hizballah. Iran — despite our claims to have destroyed its air forces and navy — can close the Strait whenever it likes.
We have gone a long way since President Trump announced that he would only accept Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” When the Iran war began the White House said that, “From day one, the objectives have been clear: to obliterate Iran’s missiles and production, annihilate its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies and ensure it never acquires a nuclear weapon.”
Mr. Trump has said that the terms of the MOU amount to the “unconditional surrender” of Iran to the United States. It is light years from that.
When will Mr. Trump figure out that Iran’s regime cannot be trusted to adhere to any of its “negotiated” obligations? Perhaps he never will.
To begin with, Vice President Vance is using the term “normal country” on the television networks to try to sell the agreement to the nation. But Iran is anything but a normal country. As Henry Kissinger wrote in his book “World Order:”
The doctrine that took root in Iran under Khomeini was unlike anything that had been practiced in the West since the religious wars of the pre-Westphalian era. It conceived of the state not as a legitimate entity in its own right but as a weapon of convenience in a broader religious struggle.
The “pre-Westphalian era” Mr. Kissinger refers to is the era — prior to the Westphalian peace of 1648 — in which nation-states were not recognized as superior to the religious groups which had been warring among themselves for hundreds of years.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed with Iran sets out the terms of the U.S. retreat all too clearly. Let’s take the paragraphs one by one.
The first paragraph says that all the participants — including Israel — cease all military operations against each other including in Lebanon. Israel is not party to the MOU and therefore not bound by it.
The Lebanon war, which the Israelis are waging against the terrorists of Hizballah, is not nearly over. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, while agreeing to the MOU’s terms, has repeatedly said that any further attacks by Hizballah would be answered by Israeli counter-attacks. Attacks have continued after the MOU was signed and they were responded to by the Israelis.
In paragraph 2, the belligerents promise to not interfere in the internal affairs of the others. Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu began the war by saying the Iranian people should overthrow the regime. That opportunity has been lost. Tehran’s radical regime’s oppression of its people includes the execution of tens of thousands of Iranians.
Paragraph 3 says, “The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent.” The final deal, of course, is supposed to cover Iran’s renunciation of its nuclear weapons ambitions. We, and Mr. Trump should know, that the Iranians will never give up their nuclear weapons program. The Iranians are already stalling while Vice President Vance heads to Switzerland for more talks.
Paragraph 4 says that the U.S. will end its naval blockade within 30 days and remove its forces from the region within 30 days after the final deal. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to resume in this period to the level it had been before the war. This is a key part of the “all carrot and no stick” approach to ending the war. As we’ve already seen, the Iranians are playing us.
In paragraph 5, the “all carrot and no stick” approach reaches yet another absurd point. It says, in part, “Upon the signing of this memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa.” That means that Iran won’t charge tolls for ships passing through the Strait for only 60 days. After that, Tehran is free to charge tolls amounting to millions of dollars for any ship.
Paragraph 6 says, in part, that “The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, fully agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Where is that money supposed to come from and where will it go? Not to reconstruct Iran but to its terrorist proxies and its nuclear program.
In paragraph 7, the Iranians’ major desire to escape all sanctions is revived. It says that all sanctions — both primary and secondary — will be removed as part of the final deal.
In paragraph 8, Iran renews its promise to not develop or obtain nuclear weapons and to dispose, somehow, of its enriched uranium stockpile believed to be nearly a ton.
We know that the Iranians have been lying about their desire to develop or obtain nuclear weapons since the early 1980s. The MOU doesn’t provide for unlimited inspections by U.S. inspectors. The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency — which, under its prior leaders such as Egyptian Mohammed el-Baradei — was nothing less than a part of the Iranian cover-up of its nuclear program. It is again entrusted to make Iran safe from nuclear weapons.
Paragraph 9 freezes the nuclear standoff in place pending the final deal. It says that, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions, and will not deploy additional forces in the region.” Again, this is an open invitation to Iran to revive its nuclear weapons program.
Paragraph 10 immediately frees Iran to sell all of its oil and to reap the financial benefits. This is a major concession that will revive the Iranian economy and not to the benefit of its people, only to the benefit of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps which controls Iran’s economy.
In paragraph 11, we make another up-front concession to Iran: ”The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon the implementation of this memorandum of understanding, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations.”
Paragraphs 12 through 14 set out that the methods and mechanisms for implementation of the MOU will continue through the final deal and that the final deal will be blessed by the United Nations.
Mr. Trump has said that the terms of the MOU amount to the “unconditional surrender” of Iran to the United States. It is light years from that and a clear retreat by the United States. It’s a bad deal that will haunt our future.
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