U.S.-Iran MOU Language Released and Signed
The sum of our fears.
The Memorandum of Understanding entered into with Iran reportedly has been signed.
President Trump personally signed a copy of the agreement during a dinner with the President of France at the Palace of Versailles. A phot of the signed agreement was sent to the Iranians and the mediating countries https://t.co/WsEZWoTShZ
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) June 17, 2026
It’s an embarrassment and sell out of our national interests. And that’s the nicest thing I can say about it. No reason to sugarcoat it. We went from sweeping military success to capitulating because Iran threatened to destroy the world economy and drive energy prices higher.
What a shame.
Good news is Iran doesn't need a nuke, it just has to raise gas prices by $1 and we crumble.
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) June 17, 2026
Here are some of my thoughts on X as the day progressed, as well as some other assessments.
This agreement is a travesty, the terms are abominable, unthinkable and one-sided. The alternative wasn't renewed war but a legitimate agreement along the terms we were repeatedly promised – economic relief contingent on eliminating enrichment and stockpiles, removal of ballistic… https://t.co/YKQmKB49rX
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) June 17, 2026
If the argument is that we needed to enter into a crap deal with Iran in order to lower oil prices, temper inflation, and boost the stock market, because it will help Republicans in November, at least that is an honest argument. Agree with it or not, that really seems to be what… https://t.co/IdLtnzccQ7
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) June 17, 2026
This is the VP, a few days ago, arguing that all the talk about the deal was IRGC propaganda. Now, what he called IRGC propaganda the other day, actually is the deal as unveiled by the White House. pic.twitter.com/y9Wmt1MibH
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 17, 2026
The MOU has now officially been released
To all those who said "wait till we see the text!"
Well… now we see it
And it's unequivocally the most disgracefully humiliating one sided capitulation imaginable https://t.co/2QSLlOlpOc
— Neil Stone (@DrNeilStone) June 17, 2026
🚨WATCH: Trump repeats his admission that he had “no choice” but to cave to the Iranian blackmail https://t.co/HDLFdVAEvI pic.twitter.com/fNkhF3Ujm0
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) June 17, 2026
I finally read the MOU and now it’s crystal clear why messaging was so bad. The MOU is bad. We don’t get the dust, they can still enrich, over $300 billion to rebuild, no restrictions on missiles, can still fund proxies and they can charge tolls after 60 days. I have no words.…
— 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐗 (@DBCooperTX) June 17, 2026
Rubio spent weeks explaining in detail on behalf of the admin why the ballistic missile program is a major threat and serves a shield for their terror efforts.
He did that on behalf the admin only to have Trump say it’s no big deal.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) June 17, 2026
The MOU does NOT address Iranian support for terrorism. But it does commit Israel to not fighting terrorists.
Speaking to @CNN's @jaketapper on Monday, Vance said that "paragraph one" of the MOU lays out the expectation that Iran commits to “regional peace and stability,” which… pic.twitter.com/ilUEycGWhD
— Max Meizlish (@maxmeizlish) June 17, 2026
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Who didn’t see this coming?
I didn’t and I admit it. I’m not proud of that though. I fucked up. I trusted them.
These criticisms are absurd. Ultimate regime change would be nice but what did you want ? A full scale ground war and occupation? Bombing their infrastructure into dusts could have led to greater regional destabilization, broader geopolitical consequences (China is big Iran customer), and significantly harm to innocent civilian populations, And prolonging this conflict as it stood could have resulted in more serious global economic consequences given our “allies” (apart from Israel) didn’t give a rat’s___ about helping And neither the American public nor Congress supported such an endeavor either. So, if you want to remove the Iran nuclear threat and have free passage through the strait, this is a path to accomplishing those goals. Calm down.
What I expected was arming the Iranian opposition, so they could fight back. When they were being slaughtered that’s what I expected.
What I expected was total financial strangulation of the Iranian regime until it collapsed and was replaced by a secular state.
We heard of arms that had been shipped but had been stopped by the Kurds?! What ever became of that? And we also heard of a Kurdish insurgency that Trump supposedly vetoed — why?
High hopes are wonderful. I’d love to have the CCP collapse under its sick communist weight. Try living in the real word. A non-nuclear Iran and unencumbered freedom of navigation through the strait are wins, Further pressure can be made on Iran if they fail to follow through.
Arming the Iranian opposition would only get them murdered wholesale, as well as upset the rest of the Gulf nations. Iran’s fanatics have no problem with killing half their population if their half survives. Learn from the Afghans.
Ditto financial strangulation of the Iranian regime. Do you think the Iranian fanatics give a hoot that the power is off or the oil wells have stopped? Do you want a flood of starving refugees mixed with fanatics flooding out of Iran and into surrounding countries? The Dems would let them come in wholesale.
Who didn’t see this coming? The brown-nosing Trump sycophants who just love to downvote 👎 anyone who dares criticize Trump.
Seriously, complaining about votes?
Seriously, complaining about me commenting about the brown-nosing Trump sycophants that just love to downvote anyone that criticizes Trump?
And the clown chimes in again. Ignorance is blissful ain’t it?
Insults? Seriously, that’s all you’ve got? Expected something more from such a brown-nosing Trump sycophant like you.
Not ignorant. Realistic. And the reality is that Trump capitulated on every demand from the Iranian Theocratic Regime and has produced and signed an agreement (MOU) worse than Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ever was. And no amount of spin-doctoring by JD Vance or Trump himself is going to change that.
eot
Only for ignorant children. My response for adults is above. You’re just doubling down on stupid with your ridiculous comparisons. The US is not paying Iran and laying the groundwork for their regional domination and nuclear ambitions. Quite the opposite. Now go have fun at that new Obama thing corrupting the landscape of Chicago.
This is as hollow as Nixon’s retreat from Vietnam behind the slogan “peace with honor”. Disclosure: I opposed that
warpolice action. What did it get us?Nixon achieved peace with honor. The communists had no honor.
Nixon successfully negotiated a peace treaty between North and South Vietnam, and he also successfully put South Vietnam in a position where if the treaty were broken it was fully capable of defending itself with no US troops on the ground, but with a guarantee that if it was invaded the US would supply arms and air support, just as it would for South Korea.
The communists invaded with a bigger army than we used on Germany, the South successfully fought them off at first, but the Democrats in Congress refused to authorize the funding for the weapons resupply and the air support that we had solemnly promised the South. They knowingly and deliberately murdered South Vietnam and subjected millions of people to slavery and death.
President Trump made a big gamble and now he has lost the bet.
It’s too bad as a western leaning Iran, no longer funding Hamas, Hezbolla and Houthi militias would usher in an era of peace in the Middle East.
At least now the Republicans have a chance at winning the midterm elections as gas prices go down.
But at what cost?
We’re looking at the end of an effective Trump administration. He really screwed the pooch on this one. I’ve supported since practically the beginning, but he’s lost me now.
We didn’t blink. We fell asleep.
Trump must have asked WWJD – What Would Joe Do.
If Im Rubio I resign immediately.
Agree with you on Rubio. The vanishing Secretary of State.
Rubio should have resigned as it was being signed in the Versaille Palace. and flown commercial home. That would have guaranteed that he would be elected in 2028. As it is now, both Rubio and Vance hang this turkey from their necks from now until forever.
Time will tell but since Mike Pence and Majorie Taylor Greene oppose the plan then it probably contains some good points for the USA.
Nope, none whatsoever. It’s total capitulation and sell-out to the Iranian regime worse than Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The Full Text of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran
Name one. I dare you.
At best this ‘agreement’ will:
1. Defer major oil shock till after midterms
2 provide political cover when the Iranian Regime violates various provisions, Trump Admin can point to it saying in essence ‘they had a great deal and broke it, no new deals, no new negotiations, only bombing until they surrender’ (assuming the naive among the Trump WH grow a pair)
3. When the Trump Admin acts (assuming they do) they can be far more ruthless and far less worried about PR, more focused on a lasting victory
Guys this kind of thing is why I argue for a Jacksonian approach to use of our Military. We should be be reluctant to use it, only doing so when our direct National Security interest is threatened …but once we decide to act and significant forces reach the area of operations …if the enemy hasn’t yet capitulated then we don’t engage in any ‘talks’ or negotiating …we kick them down to the ground and curb stomp them until they surrender. Then we pick their pockets if they possess anything worth having and we go home. No contributions to a rebuilding fund, no ‘Nation Building’, no ground force occupation, no singing Kumbaya. Only death, destruction and a swift exit when mission goals are complete without regard to concerns of the ‘international community’; if they wanted to prevent this sort of outcome they should have made sure the enemy of the USA understood what was coming or solved the problem themselves.
How will Trump achieve that with a Democratic-led congress in November? The instant they take over, he won’t be able to shoot a spitball at his friend when the teacher isn’ looking.
You pose a question based on something that hasn’t happened 🤣
Let democrats support the worlds enemies.
We did successfully reconstruct Germany and Japan.
MOC
Memorandum Of Capitulation
Trump demanded “unconditional surrender”, and then he did. The cult can spread all the lipstick they want on this pig, but it won’t clean off the mud.
I don’t see what hysteria is about. Its a MOU to cover an extended ceasefire. The only thing that has happened is the straights are to be opened and oil will flow. Everything else is conditional. After 60 days if nothing progresses the “grass will be mowed” again.
I voted to carpet-bomb Iran back to the ninth century.
Anyone notice Rubio is MIA? I think he knows how horrible this is.
If Im Rubio I resign immediately. There! I;ve said it twice. Rubio should resign twice,
This has Vance’s hands and his COS on it
My comment from the other day. I believe it does. He’s also been a point person out pre-selling it.
Nope. VP Vance is demonstrating the ‘political loyalty’ some folks deem to be of supreme importance in going out as point man in supporting the deal President Trump approved. Make no mistake this deal is 100% due to decisions of President Trump, if he didn’t want to sign off he wouldn’t have.
Remember that Vance was/is a Marine. In the modern military frank and open discussion is encouraged to get opinions, input and alternative plans in front of the Boss before he makes the final decision. Once that final decision is made, ‘the talking is done’ and you support the decision of the Boss and do your dead level best to implement that decision and make the plan work, especially if you disagreed with decision.
I don’t disagree with your Trump decided and Vance following. However, I believe in the discussion Vance who might not hate Israel but doesn’t love them and is probably worried about midterms since it could affect last 2 years of Trump’s presidency and his own run for the office probably argued for the points in the MOU. Do I have evidence? No. However he’s influenced by TC so I suspect this is the case.
You’re overlooking the point that most ‘America First’ adherents of which Vance is the best positioned are Jacksonian. We don’t want to send US Military around the world…but if we must then we leave death/destruction in its wake so severe that everyone observing chooses not to oppose the USA for a decade or so.
Israel is NOT the center of the universe. Just as there’s no justification for loony tune weirdos complaining about a cabal of ‘international Jewery’ controlling the economy/foreign policy of the USA there’s also no justification in trying to put this on Vance. Trump is many things but shy about speaking up publicly isn’t one of them.
IMO between Trump or Vance making the call to kick the snot out of Iranian Regime to include blowing up infrastructure and accepting the high casualties indirectly attributable to that …I’d put my money on Vance arguing to channel Curtis ‘bombs away’ LeMay far more readily than Trump in this situation.
It may be counterintuitive but that’s the basic case with America First; don’t use military force unless absolutely necessary but once we decide to assemble the forces into the operational area then we use them to prosecute the conflict to a successful conclusion and achieve overwhelming victory.
I don’t know about Vance. I do know enough about some of the people he associates with to find him suspect. I haven’t written him off yet. I’m still watching.
I would say I’m Jacksonian then. That should be evident from many of my comments on here if not most of them.
We have something like a 800-1000 bases in other countries. I disagree with that but the ship about sending troops around the world disappeared a long time ago.
How many countries friend and foe has Trump inserted us into. Greenland, Cuba, Venezuela, Canada, Yemen, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Syria. Not everything has to be military or played out yet.
We haven’t been very good about finishing much of anything since WW2. I blame the democrats caring more about power than the country and the media carrying more about the democrats than the actual truth. Both are anti-Western socialists now too,
Stalin and Lenin and Mao must be laughing in hell at their successful infiltration of
the US and its institutions, What haven’t they subverted?
Trump only care about making deals. I wonder if he understands the costs of same of the deals he makes. From his perspective i think if one deal fails there is always the next one after that.
And we’re reducing, again, the # of troops in Europe. The tea leaves are pretty clear from public statements of President, Sec War, Sec State and even more forcefully from VP. Europe is of far less importance to the USA than the Pacific/Asia. The European Nations are with a.few exceptions allowing themselves to be overrun while simultaneously engaging in Orwellian tactics to monitor/suppress any dissenting voices. We’re gonna be focusing far more on our own hemisphere to reestablish our hegemony in a more concrete v theoretical manner, as we should.
The mid East isn’t directly important to the USA outside of Cray Cray regimes getting nukes or launching asymmetric attacks on US Citizens/property. Sure the economies of the those Asian nations dependent on oil and to an extent Europe for LNG going under would limit our exports. On the other hand these same Nations have high trade barriers on US exports which limits our exports so ….it doesn’t really hit the USA as much as some believe. Yes the stock market takes a hit, but the stock market ain’t the economy. The real economy is on Main Street not Wall Street. I suspect some folks will get a harsh reminder when the overvalued asset bubble eventually bursts
On Vance it is fine to be skeptical, after all he’s a politician, but I’d suggest holding him accountable for he does not what others do. IMO if it had been Vance calling the shots then we’d have pounded the Iranian infrastructure back in April until they surrendered, the populace overthrew them or there wasn’t anything left to destroy.
Once again, huge amount of treasure spent on a foreign adventure and it all turns into so much wasted effort. This kind of BS by our government needs to end. What was even the point of this whole thing now with this crap sandwich we have to put up with?
Iran wanted the deal and it still needs to perform. It’s up to them. Prefer to wait and see what happens. Too many experts have already decided.
Let’s be honest, it’s easier for people to be little bitches right now 🙄 This thing is a long way from playing out and the reality is, Iran won’t get the nukes Barry worked with them to get.
Okay constitutional lawyers please respond. This is being called a deal and not a treaty. Treaties have to be submitted to the Senate for approval. The thing is going to be submitted to the UN for God knows what purpose. How binding is it on us. I would say none at all.
Your turn….
Wikipedia:
Good info, henryb – thanks.
Because the agreement is structured as an executive action rather than a formal treaty, it bypasses the Constitutional requirement for a two-thirds ratification vote in the Senate. However, Congress does hold the legislative power to review, pause, and potentially block the framework
Despite criticism from both Democrats and a few lame brained Republicans, it is mathematically impossible that Congress will block the MOU. If Congress successfully passes a Resolution of Disapproval by a simple majority, President Trump will undoubtedly veto it. Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds supermajority which is not in the cards.
Deals such as this one, and 0bama’s earlier deal, which are made by the president on his own authority, are not binding under US law. (To whatever extent treaties are binding, which isn’t much.) These are not deals between the USA and Iran, but between Donald Trump / Barack 0bama and Iran. So only the president himself is bound by them, and even that is only by his own sense of honor, not by any law. The next president isn’t bound at all.
However passing it as a binding Security Council resolution would make it binding under US law, under the terms of the UN Treaty.
A treaty, properly ratified by the senate, is US law. It has the same rank as a statute passed by Congress and signed by the president. Except that unlike a statute, the president can abrogate a treaty whenever he likes. So when we say it’s “binding”, that doesn’t really mean all that much. Treaties are binding for as long as the president wants them to be.
A huge difference between a treaty and a simple agreement like this one, is that the president can only agree to do things that are within his power. If he promises something that he has no legal authority to do, he can’t carry out that promise without first going to Congress to get that authority. Whereas if it’s a treaty then it is US law, and thus automatically gives the president whatever authority he needs to carry out its promises.
Note that the treaty power is a way for the president and 2/3 of the senate to legislate over the heads of the House. Let’s suppose by some weird electoral outcome, 0bama had lost the House but gained 67 senators. I don’t know how that’s possible, but suppose it happened. He could have signed some climate treaty and it would become US law despite the house’s objections.
The only way the Iranian government was going to be toppled and the nuclear threat eliminated completely would be with “boots on the ground” – and even then it would be a brutal slog with no sure path to victory. Too many Jew-hating European governments would do whatever it took to keep the Islamist’s’ dirty noses above water. And there is no way the American public would support such a move.
Trump bought Israel and the world a few more years of a non-nuclear Iran. Realistically that was the best we could hope for.
The real nuclear threat will now shift to Europe, as England and France both stand a good chance of becoming Islamist theocracies in the near future. If you thought ridding the world of Iranian nukes was hard, just wait until Islamist England and France – backed by a ferociously antisemitic Europe – start rattling their nuclear sabers at Israel!
Probable scenario over the next 2 days….
Iran call Hezbollah
Hezbollah shoot off a few dozen drones/missiles into N Israel.
Israel retaliates
Iran says deal broke. Israel’s fault.
Trump castigates Israel
Nazi democrats castigate Israel
TC Republicans castigate Israel
Media castigates Israel
Street marches castigate Israel
Changes made to permanent deal out of existing framework and in favor of Iran.
Rinse and repeat…
It’s phenomenal how virtually nobody listens to what Trump says. There are aspects here consistently being ignored.
.
(1) Sure we easily could flatten Iran, and do away with the problem once and for all. And then [Trump] there will be “91 million people at risk of starving.” Note that an estimated at least 60% are not of the fundamenalist variety. There is no possibility of idenfitying and dispatching only the “extremists” even with a bloody “boots on the ground”.
.
(2) Like it or not, unless and until Iran’s resources can be got elsewhere, a large portion of the world has been freaking out and not actually supportive of the U.S. — or haven’t you noticed? (Nevermind “pennywise, pound foolish” because they are. That’s how people are. “Eeek my gas prices.”) Thus this “agreement” such as it is has been tantamount to negotiating with huge numbers of nations and economic global consequences.
.
(3) Yes, we could keep all the funds we’re currently controlling that originally belonged to Iran. That would require eternally monitoring and sanctioning countries that have been moving these funds (counterproductive as far as other relations we have with them) as well as [Trump] creating distrust of relationships with U.S. and the dollar.
.
(4) It’s not finished yet. It’s not even a final “contract”. This is an ongoing process. Things are way preferable to how they were before. From whence comes this impatient demand for instant gratification (and to hell with the midterms, not a frivolous concern, either.) The perfect is the enemy of the good.
We have been patient. We expect some progress for our national and economic sacrifices.
The only thing good about this is that it’s an MOU and one that Iran will probably break. They can’t help themselves.
Doesn’t destroying Iran’s military, halting their nuclear program, and getting the ulteriorly-interested other Middle East countries on board with our agenda constitute “some progress”?
.
What would you have preferred to see? The media hasn’t shut up with their incessant pseudo-intellectual doubting, sniping, nit-picking, and buts — and this has been going on for months with fact-free “analyses”. Meanwhile countries and corporations with incompatible interests around the globe have been complaining and griping and lobbying their own agendas (and plotting), some behind the scenes and some overtly (even our so-called European “allies”, refusing to cooperate). What do you think would happen if we just flattened a huge country’s entire infrastructure, a country with vastly incompatible tribalist demographics (we couldn’t even get the “good guys” armed — the Kurds, ostensibly one group of “good guys”, stole them.) This is why “our” installed Shah failed in the first place and the Muslim fundamentalists succeeded in installing the Ayatollah. (Yes we already once tried “regime change.”)
.
Factoring in the messy web of disparate global economic interests, the domestic and international politics and relations, and the reality that 20% or more of the population in this country of 93 million people are the equivalent of suicidal jihadists who don’t giveash– what happens to themselves or anyone else (and they are the ones with guns) — what would be your better plan?
We had all of that in about 3 days.
This long wait seems to have paid zero dividends.
I would have preferred we stop caring about what the rest of the world thinks or the media and just get the job finished in a timely and cost-effective fashion. That’s not too much to ask.
Get what “job” finished? Are you considering all of the economic and other cooperation issues that had to be managed behind the scenes with other countries, companies, banks, and so forth? How about the international screaming about the Strait? Tell me, from a military standpoint, how you would excise the decentralized mentally deranged Muslim guerilla jihadis.
This is backwards, and reflects anti-US propaganda. We did not install the Shah. He came to the throne as his father’s heir, and was constitutional ruler of Iran until a communist-supported coup threw him out. Our role was to run a propaganda campaign in Iran that successfully convinced the people to demand his return; the people rose up and threw out the coup leaders, and reinstalled him.
Sure all factually correct points. The problem is those same points were equally valid and more importantly well known PRIOR to the decision to use substantial military force in a somewhat sustained conflict with Iranian Regime.
IOW while factually correct they are actually moot to the current discussion about the wisdom of Trump’s decision to sign an MOA today and allow ANOTHER 60 days for additional ‘negotiations’. Going into a major conflict with Iranian Regime every single point you raised was already baked into the cake they ain’t a set of newly discovered complicating factors that impacted the decision making process.
IMO when Trump or whomever in the Admin got cold feet about projected casualties of continued bombing campaign to wreck infrastructure or worries about the opinions of regional Govt or the ‘international community’ and agreed to extend the first brief cease-fire…. that was it. Trump got played by the Iranian Regime b/c each delay brought another and we began hitting up against the political reality of midterms, economic reality of oil price over $150 per barrel as we burned through the ‘slack’ in our oil supply system. The Iranian Regime maneuvered the Trump Admin into a no win scenario where the Admin needed a deal more than they did b/c the Iranian Regime figured out the Trump Admin didn’t want to pull the trigger on the course of action required to bring them to their knees. That may change after the midterms. First it removes the immediate political concerns, more importantly it gives us 5 months to restock domestic oil inventory, regional Nations can create new pipeline routes bypassing the Strait, and the delay provides a neutralizing effect on whiny arguments about how launching a sustained military conflict is gonna result in.. ‘gasp’ …lots of casualties when the dams, water plants irrigation, electricity generation get blown up.
Trump didn’t get played. We went in militarily, destroyed the upper level leaders, destroyed their military capacity and imminent nuclear threat — and immediately the multifarious wishlists, complaints, and doubts just wouldn’t shut up. Understand something, please: there is no cohesive “Iranian regime”. There is, rather, a country of civilians dominated by scattered decentralized armed jihadi terrorists.
.
What’s your military plan?
My Plan?
Go back in Mr Peabody’s way back machine to April and not extend the initial ceasefire. Hit their infrastructure until:
1. the Iranian Regime surrenders (which Trump made the stated goal)
2. The populace of Iran backed by regular Army (IRGC is akin to SS units a separate, parallel force of zealots) overthrew the regime
3. Everything is not only destroyed into rubble but superheated from bombing into slag.
Once we began extending the cease fire the decision point/moment for further heavy sustained strikes required to generate enough death and destruction to meet the goal of ‘unconditional surrender’ shifted beyond the midterms.
After? Any Nation who wants to object to bringing the Iranian Regime to heel using force is free to use the means they wish to achieve the same ends. But they gotta succeed and since none of them even tried to do so they can pound sand. The Iranians are not well liked by the rest of the regional Nations. Most of it is cultural. Iranians are somewhat arrogant about their Persian history looking down on the Arabs. Kind of a the same way the Boston Brahman would look down on someone like me from Alabama. Then there’s the religious differences between Sunni and Shia which led to a history of strife between them. FWIW I’ve fought Iranians in Iraq while training and fighting alongside the various Iraqi Army units I was training.
The Iranian Regime isn’t as complicated as you make it sound. Its more similar to the CHICOM structure than many understand; various factions with political/power fortunes waxing/waning and an agreed upon leader. The various factions are scared to death of the ordinary population and the regular Army forces rising up to overthrow them. That’s why the IRGC (the henchmen of the regime a gendarmerie +) more/less locked down the regular Army in their compounds.
Using military force = death/destruction. Period. If folks don’t have the stomach for the use of.force they shouldn’t call to ‘send in the US military to do something.’ Now we can always use intimidation and threat to coerce our adversary but if we keep postponing the use of force then the value of our threat to do so declines.
In sum by not acting in early Spring we ran out of room economically due to oil, both impact of higher prices but more importantly the ‘slack’ in the system of oil here there in the supply chain that allowed us to stave off even higher prices $150+ per barrel. That removed military option unless Trump was willing to accept extremely high fuel prices in summer, tanking stock market, far higher inflation and a very PO domestic voter base heading into mid terms. The Iranian regime was able to maneuver Trump into a delay that effectively postponed true military threat until November. They played on his reluctance to accept the death/destruction that for all his bluster would accompany the use if force required to bring them to heel.
The real question is when (not if IMO) the Iranian Regime violates this agreement, drags their feet, attacks or send their proxy to attack Israel or US forces in the region or interfere with freedom of navigation ….will Trump deliver on his NEW promise to ‘blow the hell out them’ to ‘drop bombs on their heads’?
And, by the way, your comments have been more on-point than most, save for consideration of what comes “after” if we were to destroy the country’s entire infrastructure. It’s not merely about millions of casualties or the world’s condemnation. The “problem” here — the decentralized jihadi in control who Just Don’t Care (and read “between the lines” vis a vis the other Middle East Islamic-rules countries we have to deal with and who are pretending nice or “modernizing” for current leaders’ personal economic agendas or security — makes this not akin to a Venezuela or WWII Japan.
We should make decisions based on US needs.
if I’m Israel I’m pissed as hell. They were a good partner in the war and worked well under US direction. However they get nothing from this. I doubt they were consulted, Nothing in the MOU benefits them really. As I’ve been saying they got hamstrung. Their one solid ally has effectively abandoned them. They will constantly get their arm twisted to just ignore any attacks by any Iranian proxies. It’s pretty much open season on Israel.
Short term if this deal holds Israel is screwed. God know what happens in Gaza now, Long term they have a challenge regarding US supply of munitions. They can disentangle themselves somewhat from their US dependency. Air force planes are going to be the real challenge though,
Biggest winners are Jew haters in US, Europe and around the world.
Don’t you think it’s better to see than guess? There is likely much more going on than set forth in a memo. Why it’s necessary to determine the merits with so little real information seems odd and contrary to good decision making.
Well the benefit to not making the decision or being anywhere near the decision loop is the ability to speculate and kibbitz.
Seems sometimes like the further away from the decision, the more certainty there is about what it is.
I said earlier let’s wait for the MOU to be released. Got a lot of people downclicking me for that. It’s been released. You can read it. Not everything is set in stone but the basic framework is agreed to. There is certainty there.
Actually, it’s a rather vague document. It’s rumored the details do not look like a capitulation. But you have to start somewhere and get the oil moving. The ball is in their court. Hope they will be smarter.
It’s not just Israel that’s screwed, it’s Lebanon as well. The Trump administration is treating them as if they are an Iranian state. They want Hezbollah gone. Hell, everyone wants Hezbollah gone except Iran. Why would we effectively turn a country over to their control?
That is an excellent point!
What? Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”
Socialists and Islam have become mainstream in our country. We’re losing the cultural takeover of the USA, and investing in the Islamic caliphate of Iran. My advice is to learn Arabic, study Shara law, and go underground if you’re LBGT.
No that’s wrong. It was the Italians that bombed pearl harbor.
From the start, Trump and Israel were not on the same page with this.
Bibi wanted regime change. The Trump administration *hoped* for regime change, but thought the odds were really low – without a US invasion, that they never were willing to do.
Trump’s #1 priority was that Iran agree to NEVER have nuclear weapons. The MOU is pretty clear that he got this. The #2 priority came up after the conflict started, which is the Iran must agree that the Strait of Hormuz is International Waters and they can’t impose a toll. The MOU requires this for its duration, but leaves it subject to further negotiations in the final deal.
In exchange, Iran was always going to have sanctions lifted and frozen assets returned. That includes being open to foreign investment in its economy (the $300 billion the Arab States are promising to invest). Note that this is an investment in businesses, not cash to the mullahs (which they’d use for weapons and sponsoring terrorism).
Secondary objectives were degrading Iran’s military (tremendous success here), and inflicting economic pain to interrupt Iran’s sponsorship of foreign terror orgs. Again, success.
Hard to say how this is a bad deal, from the perspective of the US.
Israel, of course, has other objectives.
The regime change they really wanted never happened.
Then there’s Hezbollah. Israel is getting screwed on this, big time.
Hezbollah hasn’t been required to agree to anything at all. And Iran isn’t being required to cease funding them. Israel is being forced to stop attacking Hezbollah and, in addition, to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
In my opinion, Trump’s better play here would have been to insist that Hezbollah cease to exist, with any/all remaining fighters being deported to Iran. Israel & Lebanon to work together to expel them, followed by Israel leaving Lebanon. Solve this one once and for all.
Instead, Hezbollah is getting a reprieve, big time. And they’ll make good use of it. I expect them to continue to attack Israel at every opportunity.
The smart play at this point for Bibi is to go along with the deal so that it gets signed. The main point here being Iran agreeing to NEVER have nuclear weapons. Get that deal signed and get the UN security council to sign it also.
Then, just wait until Hezbollah attacks Israel again, which 100% they will, and then go back into Lebanon in retaliation.
In short, accept the setback in Lebanon temporarily in order to get the more important agreement on Iran not having nukes. And use that time to restock weapons and plan for the next round against Hezbollah.
Trump treats Hezbollah as the lawful and rightful leaders of Lebanon.
I am done.
Only hope is Iran can’t help themselves and will break the treaty sooner or later.
Are the Iranian toll takers collecting at the Hormuz Toll Gate?
We rushed in, miscalculating Iran’s ability to survive and wage an assymmetric war.
We lost the political will to finish the job, which was the biggest risk from the beginning. $4.50 gas will do that.
A $300 billion dollar slush fund is indefensible.
Also, Vance is going to wear this glowing deal like a uranium pendant.
He’s done in 2028.
Rubio has a better chance of separating himself from this. But even thats a longshot in my opinion.
How can the Republicans as a party separate themselves from this deal? The whole thing will likely be hung around their necks. The blow to our prestige and global power is enormous. Businesses can back off from lost competitive challenges and recoup. It isn’t so easy for countries to do so.
Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon is gone. The Ayatollah is dead. His son is a wimp. The new leadership is in disarray. Iran’s Navy & Air Force are destroyed.
Iran has to start over from scratch, and it will take years before they pose a major conventional threat again.
Who says the regime’s path to a nuclear weapon is ‘gone?’ The regime is still in power, they still possess genocidal intent and fanaticism, and they’ll soon be flush with $300 billion in cash “protection” “reconstruction” money, paid by the UAE and other wealthy Arab Gulf states, with more money to come, plus the “toll fees” exacted from ships traversing the strait of Hormuz. The regime will rebuild in short order — jihadist terrorists are determined, that way, when they get breathing room.
Even if Iran can’t build nuclear weapons, they can still cause plenty of death and destruction via their non-nuclear missiles, drones and other weapons, and they’re going to rebuild those, rather obviously. Plus, the regime’s lavish sponsorship of Hezb’allah and other Muslim terrorist groups will continue, unabated.
And, what about Hezb’allah? Allowing the Iranians to tie this “deal” to Israel’s ability to defend itself against Hezb’allah’s incessant attacks on northern Israel and its citizens who live there, is an act of feckless betrayal and perfidy. Mercifully, the Israelis aren’t naive and stupid, and are going to continue to defend themselves from hard-won territorial buffer zones.
I gave #47 much-deserved due credit for initiating long overdue reprisals against this genocidal Islamofascist/terrorist regime, but it’s absurd to posit that this “deal” is anything but a total act of idiotic appeasement and a tactically and strategically foolish squandering of major battlefield achievements, all because #47 didn’t want to roil the stock and oil markets, before the midterm elections — despite the fact that the markets recovered in a mere three months, after the much more substantive disruption caused by the Wuhan virus, in 2020.
Iran is going to still be the next president’s and the world’s problem — if it’s a Dhimmi-crat president, he/she will enable and facilitate Iran’s dominance, terrorism sponsorship and nuclear ambitions. If it’s Vance or Rubio, he will have to fight, again.
I disagree that their path is done. We need that part of the agreement to be sure and it hasn’t even been negotiated yet.
For Iranian nukes to be done we have to have the right to validate their adherence to the agreement. That means we have to be able to go anywhere at anytime with no warning to see if they have violated the agreement and are working on developing weapons. If that is not in the final agreement than it is worthless where nuclear weapons are concerned and all we did is set them back a spell. That’s significant but would be insufficient.
BTW: Barry’s deal sucked in this area. I believe the UN was limited where it could go investigate and had to give notice. I believe they were turned down at times as well.
Seen elsewhere:
“IT WILL FAIL. At least, Iran will break it, and Trump will start bombing again. I think Trump knows this. The Iranians probably do too. At best it’s Peace Of Amiens II and I doubt it will last that long.”
There’s nothing else to say. This is a dismal failure and throwing good money after bad.
Iran can also buy nukes from Pakistan or other sympathetic states, if it’s unable to build them, itself. Islamofascist/terrorist states are chummy, that way.
If their ballistic missile program is not affected by he MOU and so far it doesn’t appear it is they have other WMD options – dirty radioactive bomb, biological, chemical… You can also do a lot of damage by building a missile with large lift capacity and using a MRV/MIRV warhead with lots of heavy metal penetrators for a kinetic strike. Russia just did something like this in Ukraine,
This deal only assures us that Iran will not openly get a nuke (one way or another) while Trump is President. That is about it. After that, sooner or later, they will get one and Israel will be vaporized. Hopefully Israel will have time to vaporize Iran at the same time.
This whole kerfuffle with Iran is bringing to mind the movie “The Mouse that Roared”.
Leave a Comment