Iran peace talks progress despite US strikes and pressure from Israel - National & International News -

Iran talks progress despite US strikes and pressure from Israel

In recent days, representatives from the US, Iran and mediating countries have expressed optimism about a new peace proposal that is taking shape. Reports differ on the proposal’s exact contents of the proposal, but broadly speaking, Iran is offering to re-open the Strait of Hormuz 30 days after the war ends. Iran wants to control the Strait jointly with Oman and continue to collect fees. Iran would also commit to not seeking a nuclear weapon, which in any case is consistent with Iran’s long-standing policy against nuclear weaponization.

In exchange, the US must end its competing blockade, commit to a permanent end to the war and to financial reparations for the damage caused by US and Israeli military assaults on Iran. If both sides honor their end of the agreement for a certain time (most reports say about 60 days), talks would then proceed to an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief.

Qatar has been instrumental in brokering this deal in cooperation with key Gulf countries. There have not yet been any direct talks or meetings between US and Iranian negotiators since the failed Islamabad talks in April.

Serious obstacles remain

Israel’s renewed bombing of Lebanon has served to undermine talks. Iran has consistently maintained that any peace settlement would require peace on all Middle Eastern fronts, which includes Lebanon. Israel has refused to recognize any such agreement and has continued its invasion of southern Lebanon, as well as the demolition of entire residential blocks and whole villages in the area. Israel is also not happy about any agreement that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium, even for civilian use.

Over the weekend, the US struck several vessels in Iranian vessels. One of these strikes killed four Iranian soldiers. The US has also once again bombed several areas on Iranian soil, purportedly targeting missile launch sites. While the US has claimed these strikes were defensive and insisted the ceasefire remains in effect, Iran has characterized it as a clear violation of the ceasefire. Nevertheless, Tehran says it remains committed to the talks and has not carried out retaliatory strikes.

As the contours of the deal have taken shape, both Democrats and Republicans in Washington have come out to vocally oppose and criticize it. All of these politicians have close ties to Israel and financial backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Abraham Discord

Another potential spoiler came from President Trump who has now insisted that any peace deal with Iran should include more Gulf countries signing on to the Abraham Accords. Trump promoted the accords during his first term to push Muslim-majority countries to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and normalize trade and diplomatic ties with them.

Many of the Gulf countries have in recent years become more closely aligned with Israel, but much of was dependent on US protection from Iran. This protection hardly materialized in the recent conflict as the US redirected its anti-missile stockpile from the Gulf to Israel as Iran was pounding the Gulf. Moreover, formal recognition of Israel has become politically untenable in the Gulf countries due to Israel’s still-ongoing war in Gaza and oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank. Most Muslim majority countries have always had the establishment of a Palestinian state as a precondition for the recognition of Israel. The Abraham Accords sidesteps the issue of Palestine altogether.

On a call with Trump, Gulf allies reportedly responded with stunned silence as the suggestion they should sign on to the Accords as part of the Iran deal.