MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. The US, Iran seek to end the Middle East conflict by signing a deal; Europe is seen as trying to derail Ukraine peace talks; and oil prices decline amid expectations of an end to the Middle East conflict. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Media: Will memorandum help resolve US-Iran conflict?
Iran and the United States have agreed to end all hostilities in the Middle East and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s nuclear program will be discussed in the next stage of dialogue between the two countries, Vedomosti writes.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said in a statement that the agreement also includes an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. Israel’s position is crucial to the deal, Iran expert Ismail Gibadullin said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no plans to step down and will seek to continue escalating regional tensions at least until the parliamentary elections scheduled for the fall, undermining any peace initiatives, the expert pointed out.
The US-Iran memorandum could remain in effect longer than the projected 60 days but it is a fragile framework, and any act of provocation may derail the agreement, Pavel Koshkin, senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and Canadian Studies, said. Still, the very fact that the accord has been reached is important as an interim stage on the way toward ending the war in the Middle East, the expert noted, adding that the memorandum at least demonstrated the parties’ willingness to engage in dialogue.
