THE Islamabad MoU, and the broader US-Iran ceasefire this document is supposed to underpin, is unravelling before our eyes.
Following a recent escalation, Washington and Tehran have been trading fire across the Gulf, with each round more intense than the last. The US has struck locations in Iran, while Tehran has responded in kind by hitting targets in the GCC states allied with the US, as well as in Iraq, Jordan and Syria. Both sides have hit civilian sites, including water plants.
The immediate trigger for hostilities was Iran’s demand that only its ‘approved’ route be used for transit of the Strait of Hormuz. Its attacks on ships using ‘unauthorised’ routes invited an American military response.
Apparently, both sides were reading the MoU’s clause regarding the vital strait differently. Yet beyond Hormuz, Israel’s attacks in Lebanon have also put great strain on the MoU.
As of Saturday, the MoU seemed all but dead, as Iran’s deputy foreign minister has said his country is “no longer implementing” its commitments as per the document.
