Last week, Trump claimed that an agreement between the US and Iran to end the war was almost finalized. But after facing criticism from his supporters in America who support Israel, he started saying that he is in no hurry for an agreement. They have now come up with the idea of a comprehensive peace agreement between all Muslim countries and Israel. But prolongation of the war will have a big impact on India. In a conference call with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, Trump struck a new chord. He urged all these countries to ‘compulsorily’ join the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords are agreements reached through American mediation. Whose objective is to formalize diplomatic, economic and security relations between Israel and the Muslim-majority countries of the Middle East. Trump made this call to discuss the proposed MOU and interim agreement to end the war. But he suddenly changed the direction of the conversation. Asim Munir was the first to reject this idea, saying that it would weaken Pakistan’s role as a mediator. It would also be against Pakistan’s long-standing stance in support of a ‘two-state’ solution to resolve the Palestine issue. Iran also rejected Trump’s suggestion. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman first maintained diplomatic silence, but later made it clear that he too did not accept this. Countries like Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, which were already recognizing Israel, also came into an uncomfortable situation. The proposed MoU for peace has been accepted in principle by both sides. The things agreed include a temporary ceasefire, opening of Hormuz in a phased manner, ending the US blockade of Iranian ports and ending the fighting in Lebanon. But some big issues still remain unresolved. For example, the deadline for handing over refined uranium, releasing $20 billion of Iranian assets deposited in Qatari banks and extension of the Abraham Accords. In fact, Iran says that the nuclear issue is not a part of the MoU and it will be discussed only during the 60-day negotiation period after the MoU is agreed upon. Key military terms of the proposed MoU include reducing naval blockades by both sides, restoring global sea lanes and preventing cross-border military conflicts. Iran has agreed to lift the sanctions imposed on Hormuz. It would remove the mines laid by its navy and allow shipping to return to pre-war conditions without imposing any compulsory charges. However, Iranian military officials have openly stated that they will not give up their geographical sovereignty or geopolitical position. Hormuz will remain under the control of the Iranian army. The US military has also agreed to completely lift the naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. With this, Iran will be able to do maritime trade and export crude oil like before. The US will remove its attacking naval units from around the Iranian coast. The agreement also talks about implementing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. However, America and Israel have been describing Lebanon as a separate matter. Despite progress in peace efforts, military tensions remain, particularly in Hormuz. Clashes are taking place almost daily. The biggest issue is Iran’s nuclear capability. Iran has been saying that it has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and is not making any nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency also believes that Iran has no nuclear weapons program. Despite this, America is demanding that Iran hand over its 60% refined 440.9 kg uranium to it or any third country. There is still agreement on many issues between America and Iran. Our fuel prices have been increased four times. Till now we have kept the situation under control, but if the conflict continues for a long time, there could be serious consequences. (These are the author’s own views)
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Manoj Joshi’s column: The longer the Iran war continues, the more our problems will increase.
