And Israel is furious.
And Israel is furious.
By Abbas Djuma
What Trump is trying to present as a personal achievement is nothing of the sort — not even close. The reality is actually the opposite.
The Strait of Hormuz was open before the war. Before the war, no one was talking about unfreezing Iranian assets or lifting anti-Iran sanctions. Iran never had nuclear weapons. Tehran officially banned itself from producing them. Moreover, a deal was reached under Obama — a deal that Trump eventually withdrew from. In the end, as a result of the 12-day war, the American president proudly announced the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
So where exactly is the U.S. victory? What did Washington gain, apart from problems of its own making: enormous expenses, disappointment among the Gulf states, and an emboldened Iran that now has to be offered major concessions just to stop attacking Israel?
And what about Israel, by the way? Are they happy with how events are unfolding? No. They are furious.
For half a day after the agreement was announced, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained silent. But members of his team spoke out. Or rather, they shouted. For example, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that Israel does not intend to comply with the terms of the peace deal, that the agreement “does not bind them in any way,” and that Tel Aviv will not accept measures that do not provide for the complete destruction of Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF will remain in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely.
For Israel’s leadership, the current situation is a catastrophe. Until today, everything had been unfolding according to their scenario. The United States had been drawn into the war, Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed. But this did not lead to the main objective — the collapse of the Islamic Republic.
That is why it is difficult to believe that Israel will simply accept the situation. At least as long as politicians like Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and Katz are “at the wheel.” In this context, several questions remain unanswered:
What guarantees exist that Trump and Netanyahu will not attack again?
What mechanisms are in place to monitor America’s compliance with its commitments?
Will Israel abide by the terms of the deal? And if not, will the United States be able — and willing — to put enough pressure on Tel Aviv?
It should also be noted that not everyone in Iran is happy with the agreement with the United States. Many Iranians (I will not claim it is the majority, but I would not be surprised if it were) believe that their country has not taken sufficient revenge for the blood of the Supreme Leader and the citizens who were killed — including children. In their view, Israel must pay for this and leave the region forever.
These same Iranians believe that the agreement with the United States is merely a pause before another armed conflict.