Pro-Israel hawks in US criticise Iran MoU but avoid clashing with Trump
Analysts warn that pro-Israel groups and politicians in Washington will likely push to derail diplomacy with Tehran. Washington, DC – A few months ago, it
Analysts warn that pro-Israel groups and politicians in Washington will likely push to derail diplomacy with Tehran. Washington, DC – A few months ago, it would have been unthinkable for a mainstream politician in the United States — let alone a Republican senator — to acknowledge Iran’s right to self-defence. But on Wednesday, that’s exactly what Senator Roger Marshall did. “I think that they have to be able to defend themselves,” he told the news channel CNN. Analysts say such statements are a sign of shifting attitudes in the US. This week, in the wake of President Donald Trump agreeing to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran, some Republicans appear to have dulled their hawkishness. Still, many pro-Israel groups and politicians are starting to mobilise against the deal, setting up a potential clash with the White House and those seeking a speedy end to the US-Israel war with Iran. “Donald Trump can sell pretty much anything to his hardcore base,” said Matthew Duss, the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, a research and advocacy nonprofit. “If he says the Iran war is going great one day and then reverses himself completely and says we’re signing a deal to end the war the next day, there’s a big part of his base that will just go along with it, and they will get angry at anyone who publicly disagrees.” Even so, Duss stressed that pro-Israel groups and politicians are still “very upset” with the memorandum. An unpopular war The terms of the deal have trickled out slowly since last Thursday, when Trump first teased that the “final points” of a ceasefire agreement had been “approved by all parties”. Only on Wednesday did the memorandum’s 14 points become public. But the gradual rollout has only partly shielded the memo from hawkish criticism. Another factor is that Republicans are largely reluctant to cross Trump, who has a track record of confronting and defeating dissidents within the party. Even some of the most vocal pro-Israel hawks have refrained from taking on Trump since the terms were announced. Senator Lindsey Graham, an ardent cheerleader for the war, said the memorandum “will be beneficial” for the US. “Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying,” Graham said in a social media post on Wednesday.
Overall, the Republicans have been far more tolerant of the initial agreement than of the 2015 nuclear deal signed by then-US President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Unlike that agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the current memorandum aims to resolve an active war. The US and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28 without direct provocation. Public opinion polls have underscored widespread US disapproval towards the conflict, which has also boosted the case for diplomacy in some conservative sectors. The fighting saw Iran close down the Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices soaring. In the US, that has fuelled inflation and economic uncertainty, factors that could weigh on Republican prospects in the upcoming midterm elections. “We’ve seen the cost of war. We’ve seen that war is not an easy solution. We’ve seen that it has major economic impacts on Americans, and that Americans are opposed to it,” said Ryan Costello, the policy director at the Iranian American Council (NIAC), a nonprofit lobbying organisation. Inside the memorandum The memo, signed on Wednesday, dictates a regional ceasefire to end the war, mandating that fighting stop not only in Iran but in Lebanon as well. The deal will see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the US lift its siege against the country. Tehran also reiterated its long-standing position that it will not pursue nuclear weapons. In exchange for that assurance, Iran will receive some economic relief. The US is set to lift sanctions against Iran’s energy exports, which will increase global supply and help bring down oil prices. Iran will also see the release of billions of dollars of its own assets that have been frozen by sanctions, though the memorandum does not provide a specific timeline or mechanism for freeing the funds. It does, however, promise a $300bn investment and reconstruction fund for Iran. The preliminary deal does not resolve the thorny issue of whether Iran’s uranium enrichment programme will be allowed to continue. That is slated for future talks, set to take place over the next 60 days. It also does not mention a single word about Tehran’s missile programme, one of the stated reasons for the US-Israel war against the country. Limiting Iran’s missile capacity has been a key goal for Israel for years, but Tehran has ruled out any concessions. On Wednesday, Trump said “missiles aren’t the problem” and suggested that the issue could be addressed as part of regional security talks.
The BriefWire