The Trump administration makes efforts to defend the Iran deal against criticism of capitulation

WashingtonCriticism of the preliminary agreement signed between the United States and Iran has escalated since the pact became known, opening a rift not only between supporters of Israel, but also within the Republican Party. With the aim of curbing these attacks, the White House decided to share the text of the document, but this has not been enough. This Thursday, US Vice President J.D. Vance held a press conference in which he defended his government's work in Iran, called for listening to the opinions of the Gulf countries, and tried to convince that Tehran must maintain a certain capacity to defend itself.

former president Barack Obama reached an agreement in 2015 with Iran"The countries of the region do not renounce the right to legitimate defense. Israel does not, Iranians do not," Vance defended. "But we hope that, as part of the final agreement, they will not be able to build the kind of missiles that can broadly threaten the entire world. That is what the president said yesterday. And it's very simple: you cannot ask a country to have no self-defense, whether it's Israel or Iran. That is not what the president has asked for," he added.

The 14-point agreement signed Wednesday nightWhen the text of the agreement became known this Wednesday, many described it as too broad, vague, and provisional, especially considering the expectations with which it had been announced. It should be noted that the document is just over a page long, meaning it is more a way of trying to channel conversations than an agreement. Former President Barack Obama reached an agreement in 2015 with Iran that Donald Trump has heavily criticized – and from which he withdrew in 2018, during his first term. That agreement, experts point out, was extremely detailed, also involved the European Union, Russia, and China, and placed Iran's nuclear program under strict international supervision, with guarantees that it would not have a military use.

Donald Trump initiated the war against Iran on February 28 with maximalist objectives: to eliminate the nuclear and ballistic missile program, overthrow the ayatollah regime, and end Tehran's support for regional military groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The 14-point agreement signed on Wednesday night

does not address any of these issues and only defers some to future negotiations.

Iran commits not to manufacture any nuclear bomb (it has always said its program was for strictly peaceful purposes), there is no mention of missiles, and it guarantees the territorial integrity of Lebanon, partially occupied by Israel in its fight against Tehran's allied militia. It does include how the Strait of Hormuz should be opened (which was already open before the joint attack by the United States and Israel); a plan to rebuild Iran with 300 billion dollars, and the lifting of all sanctions against Tehran in exchange for it not acquiring or developing nuclear weapons.

Money to rebuild the country

One of the elements that has generated controversy has been Iran's reconstruction fund, an issue that was not part of the negotiation from the outset. This part of the agreement is noteworthy after Trump's criticism of Obama's concessions, which included the unblocking of some one hundred billion in Iranian assets that were held in foreign banks in exchange for Iran limiting its nuclear program. On this occasion, the pact also establishes that the United States will grant the necessary licenses, exemptions, and permits for financial transactions related to the fund.

Therefore, for Republicans like Senator Roger Wicker, the memorandum is "completely out of step with the president's objectives." He said in a statement that the fund for the reconstruction of the Islamic Republic "will make the payment to Iran from the 2015 Obama agreement look like a pittance in comparison." In response, Vance argued that Iran must "change its behavior" before obtaining the financial benefits outlined in the agreement, even though the text stipulates that Tehran will receive these benefits immediately.

The White House has also tried to defend the economic advantages of the pact, stating that 12.5 million barrels of oil crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night. Oil prices fell on Thursday to levels very close to those before the start of the war. At the same time, US government sources have conveyed that the text is intentionally very generic, to allow Iran to sell it as a victory and to enable them to continue negotiating.

While the parties were expected to stage the signing of the memorandum of understanding this Friday in Switzerland, this meeting is now not so clear. Vance stated that the plan is to sign it, but it is not clear when. "When will we go? We believe these negotiations will take place sometime this week, but that could change."

Warnings to Israel

In the signed document, the United States and Iran declare an end to military operations on all fronts, "including Lebanon," and "commit to not initiating any war or military operation" between them, as well as to "guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon." Neither Israel nor Hezbollah, the two parties that have been fighting each other in Lebanon, are part of the agreement.

Vance has warned Israel that it should not attack Lebanon because "Trump is the only head of state in the whole world who sympathizes" with the country, and at the same time, has criticized that when negotiations were on the verge of a major breakthrough, Israel bombed Beirut and killed "people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah." "This is not acceptable," Vance said.

For many experts, this will be one of the problems of the pact. Israel has already made it clear that it does not feel obligated to anything in these negotiations and that stopping the attacks would harm its national security, but, according to the agreement, Iran can demand that Trump pressure Netanyahu if he attacks Lebanon again. This same Wednesday, Israeli government sources informed the media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked to see the agreement, but that they had not shown it to him.