MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. The main factor that could derail the process of reaching an agreement between the US and Iran is Israel’s stance, political expert Pavel Timofeyev told TASS.
"The negotiations on the future agreement are certainly not expected to be easy. And the main factor undermining the entire process has been Israel’s position. [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately announced the Israel Defense Forces’ readiness to continue military operations in Lebanon regardless of the US position. Just yesterday, on June 21, he reaffirmed that the Israeli army will maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon regardless of the outcome," he noted.
Timofeyev added that almost immediately after the signing of the memorandum of understanding, questions arose about its viability. "Swiss broadcaster RTS rightly noted: for [US President Donald] Trump, who once criticized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the challenge is to prove that he can secure a better deal than [former US President] Barack Obama. So far, this prospect remains hypothetical. The issue here is not only that what we have before us is not a treaty, but rather, a memorandum marking the start of negotiations without guaranteeing their conclusion. The main issue is that some of the commitments outlined in the text are difficult to fulfill within the specified timeframes, such as negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and an agreement on a mechanism for Iran’s economic recovery. Others depend largely on external factors, such as ensuring peace in Lebanon, lifting US sanctions, and unfreezing Iranian assets. Still others have been left out of the equation altogether, such as Iran’s missile program," the expert pointed out.
