Amid criticism of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, Middle East expert Yoni Ben Menachem said today (Thursday) in an interview with Tal Meir that Qatar—not Pakistan as publicly portrayed—was the force behind advancing the deal. While Pakistan stood at the forefront of the talks, he said, Qatar worked behind the scenes until the last moment to bring about a signing.
1+Ben Menachem added that economic considerations played a significant role in advancing the move, citing the business ties of Jared Kushner, Steve Wynn, and President Donald Trump’s son with Qatar. He emphasized: “There are economic considerations here that overrode security interests, American national security, and Israeli national security.”
He went on to warn about the deal’s implications for Israel, arguing that even at the memorandum of understanding stage, there are particularly problematic clauses. According to him, the three main issues of concern are the situation in Lebanon, the Iranian nuclear issue, and the lifting of sanctions on Tehran—which could lead to billions of dollars flowing to the Iranian regime.
1+Meanwhile, the agreement does not require Iran to remove its stockpile of enriched uranium from its territory, but rather stipulates that it will be handled through dilution under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. Israel views this as a retreat from positions previously presented by Washington and fears that Iran will effectively retain a significant portion of its nuclear capabilities under a future arrangement.
At the same time, Tehran has not hidden its satisfaction with developments. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that Iran is entering negotiations from a “position of strength,” declaring that “victory on the ground is the basis for negotiations.” According to him, Iran has succeeded in imposing a new reality in the region and now enjoys an improved status in the international arena.