“This could be the beginning of a long and wonderful peace: let’s not waste this opportunity.” In a few lines on Truth, Donald Trump expresses his frustration at yet another IDF attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut. But it is when speaking with Axios that the tycoon releases all his anger against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: «Why did he have to make a fucking attack? I was so furious. I let him know. He has no fucking judgement.” Guilty, according to the US leader, of having ordered the raids on Hezbollah’s stronghold, thus delaying the electronic signature of the Islamabad memorandum, disliked by the Jewish state.
“The attack should not have occurred, especially on such a significant day, while we are now one step away from a peace agreement with Iran,” declared Trump, who still hopes for a signature soon: “It will be signed today electronically and after a week in person, somewhere in Europe.”
The raid on Beirut and the retaliation announced by Tehran
Israeli officials quoted by the media said they were “stunned” by Trump’s words. The attack against Beirut – which has long been a red line for Iranian forces – would have come in “response” to “Hezbollah attacks against Israeli territory”, said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, while the Lebanese media spoke of at least 3 dead and 15 wounded. According to what was reported by Axios, the IDF informed the US Centcom only shortly before the raid, for which Tehran is preparing an “imminent” retaliation: “We have our finger on the trigger”, said the commander of the Iranian armed forces Ali Abdollahi, raising the alert in Israel, which has banned gatherings and is preparing to face a possible missile attack.
Meanwhile Mohammad Ghalibaf pointed the finger at the United States, accusing them of having given “the green light” to the raid and of having “demonstrated once again that they are not capable” of respecting their commitments. “If you have neither the will nor the ability to fulfill your commitments, it is not possible to talk about continuing along this path,” concluded the Iranian negotiator in a post on X that sounds like a pickaxe on the negotiation efforts.
Trump: «All parties take a step back»
Hence Trump’s social response, which relies on confidential diplomacy and public declarations to arrive at the signature, now that Bibi “has upset everything”. The tycoon warned Israel for the reaction, in his opinion exaggerated, to a Hezbollah attack “of negligible extent and devoid of real relevance” which “should not compromise this fundamental process”. According to the president, “it is necessary for all parties to take a step back”, now that the agreement is within reach: “There must be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but, equally, there must be no further attacks against Israel by other parties.”
An attempt by Trump to keep his ally Netanyahu at bay who, apparently, sees no advantages in the agreement between Iran and the United States: according to Israeli officials quoted by the Jewish media, the Islamabad memorandum “endangers the interests” of the country, and with its signature Washington would give in to the “main conditions” posed by Tehran.
The contents of the agreement and the state of the negotiations
Yet the tycoon claimed success, in particular for having extracted the promise – apparently contained in the document – that Tehran will not produce or acquire nuclear weapons. Pending a final agreement, Iran would maintain the current state of its nuclear program, refraining from further uranium enrichment and plant expansion. More generally, the nuclear program will be subject to negotiation within 60 days of signing the memorandum.
A signature that in the meantime continues to be awaited: a delegation from Qatar, mediator together with Pakistan, arrived in Tehran on Sunday “to help facilitate the finalization of the agreement”, a diplomat familiar with the situation told AFP. The words of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian give hope, according to which the country’s highest security authority supports the “path of dialogue”. A clarification that sounds above all like an attempt to calm internal waters, after fundamentalists at home criticized Tehran’s negotiating team, calling Araghchi a “liar” and an “infiltrator”.