The US has made it known that it could sign an agreement with Iran “in the next few days”.’ Israel seems to have aligned itself
Is a diplomatic breakthrough in the Iranian crisis coming? On Sunday, an American official said that the agreement between Washington and Tehran “will be signed in the next few days” and that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei, would give “general approval” to the agreement. “Negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush an agreement, as time is on our side,” declared Donald Trump on Truth at the same time. «The blockade will remain in full force until an agreement is reached, certified and signed. Both sides need to take their time and do things right. There can be no mistakes!”, the American president also added, underlining that the new agreement will be better than the one signed by Barack Obama in 2015. In the same post, Trump once again hinted that Iran could one day join the Abraham Accords: a hope that the occupant of the White House had already formulated last year.
Second Axiosthe agreement under discussion would provide for an extension (further renewable) of the ceasefire for 60 days. Over this period, Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, demining it and giving up imposing tolls. In exchange, Washington would lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and suspend some of the sanctions currently in place against the Khomeini regime, allowing the latter to sell its oil. On the basis of the agreement, the ayatollahs would commit not to develop nuclear weapons and would open up the possibility of negotiating both the suspension of their atomic program and the possible delivery of their stockpiles of enriched uranium. In turn, the United States would agree to negotiate on the lifting of sanctions and the release of currently frozen Iranian assets. Last but not least, the agreement would also provide for the conclusion of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel, it is no mystery, has shown concern about this possible agreement between Washington and Tehran. On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out publicly on the issue for the first time. “I spoke with President Trump last night regarding the memorandum of understanding for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the upcoming negotiations for a definitive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program,” declared the Israeli prime minister. «President Trump and I agreed that any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear threat. This means dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites and removing enriched nuclear material from its territory. President Trump also reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself from threats on all fronts, including Lebanon,” he added. In short, Netanyahu seems to have accepted, to some extent obtorto neckthe American president’s line, but at the same time he has set limits on the Iranian nuclear dossier.
In addition to Israel, the other unknown concerns the Pasdaran. The Revolutionary Guards are historically opposed to diplomacy with Washington and have entered into serious competition with the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who, worried about US economic pressure, heads the wing in favor of dealing with the United States. It is no coincidence that a few days ago, Pakistan tried to soften the positions of the Pasdaran.
