JERUSALEM, Israel – One day after the digital signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) between the U.S. and Iran, the Middle East is adjusting to a new reality. The M.O.U. will have a major impact on Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship.
At the G7 meeting in France, President Trump boasted that the deal is better than President Obama’s 2015 agreement, and he sounded optimistic.
“But I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now. And very importantly, the oil is plummeting down, and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today – like record kind of numbers. And the oil (price) is taking its biggest plunge. And we’re into the low numbers. Not quite back yet to the extent, but we’re getting close to the numbers we were before it all started.”
The price of oil fell on Monday to near $80 per barrel, and the Dow Jones Industrials hit a new high of nearly 52,000.
Vice President JD Vance declared, “I think it’s a great day for the American people, because what this deal does fundamentally is two things: it immediately reopens the Straits of Hormuz. We’re already seeing in the past 24 hours more traffic flow, you see oil prices coming down, but you also have the long-term commitment that Iran will never develop or procure a nuclear weapon; those are two very big wins for the American people.”
Reportedly, the M.O.U. will be followed by 60 days of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Vance asserts that Iran could have access to billions of dollars in sanctions relief if they behave.
“What this agreement does is say to the Iranians that you don’t have access to the money to rebuild that nuclear program. But, if you’re willing to give up that program long term, if you’re willing to accept the inspections and verification regime that’s necessary to give us the confidence you’re never going to have a nuclear weapon, then we want you to be a prosperous country, and we will re-invite you into the community of nations,” Vance offered.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called the M.O.U. a source of pride.
“This memorandum is not only a major achievement for the country itself, but also a great source of pride for the entire region and the resistance forces. God willing, its details will be presented at the appropriate time,” he said.
Yet, many in the Gulf States are skeptical about the Iran regime. The Saudi State Daily wrote, “No one in the Arab Gulf trusts Iran’s intentions…if the Arab states have gained anything from this crisis, it is (the fact that) it stripped the Iranian regime of its masks and exposed the truth of its aggressive policy toward them.”
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One Israeli leader called the M.O.U. a “catastrophe” since it does not eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, does not address Iran’s ballistic missiles, its support of proxies in the region, and sanctions relief would allow it to rebuild its military.
At his first press conference since the M.O.U., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s committed his life to stopping a nuclear Iran.
He remarked, “I can define it as my life’s mission. I have stood by it to this day, and I will stand by it in the future. With an agreement, without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Not today, not tomorrow. As long as I am the prime minister of Israel, it will not happen.”
Netanyahu also claimed that Israel is committed to defending itself against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
He stated, “We have created a buffer zone, a security zone, and we will remain there as long as necessary. Iran wanted us to withdraw from there, but that did not happen. Do you know why it didn’t happen, among other reasons? Because I stood very, very firm. I was very, very resolute on this matter, and I believe our American friends respect this determination and stance, this persistence. We are staying there because we need to protect the residents of the north.”
The war began when millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest the Tehran regime. The regime murdered tens of thousands of its own citizens to quash the protests. They have been largely forgotten in recent news reports. CBN News has learned that many Iranians feel manipulated after a White House promise of help and now find themselves in a worse situation than before the protests began.
