The United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding, which has caused dissatisfaction among some Israeli government officials. They believe that the agreement will provide Iran with the time and funding needed to rebuild its military strength. Even extreme-right Israeli politicians have declared that the US-Iran agreement “does not apply to Israel,” and they oppose any ceasefire in Lebanon.
According to a report by the American 'Wall Street Journal' on June 18, Israeli officials' actions angered Vice President Mike Pence of the United States. He criticized these officials for 'personal attacks' against U.S. President Donald Trump. At a White House press conference that day, Pence warned Israeli officials that the United States is Israel's only strong ally, and that Israelis need to recognize this reality.
After the US and Iran announced the specific terms of the memorandum of understanding, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided publicly criticizing the agreement. However, Israeli officials privately stated that the agreement could help Iran rebuild its missile and drone inventories and support allies in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, thereby affecting the balance of power in the Middle East and "threatening the interests of the United States and Israel."
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gurion expressed dissatisfaction on social media. He stated that the US-Iran agreement “does not apply to Israel,” and that “Israel is not under US jurisdiction; we are independent sovereign nations.” He added that he was grateful to Trump, but Israel “is not a banana republic.”
On the 18th, Vance refuted these statements. At a White House press conference, he reminded Israel, "Trump is the only head of state in the world who sympathizes with Israel. If I were to serve on Israel's cabinet, I wouldn't condemn the world's only powerful ally."
Wanis warned that two-thirds of Israel’s defensive weapons are manufactured by the United States. “The problem Israel faces is not Trump. Any Israeli who believes the biggest issue lies with the U.S. President should wake up and recognize the reality of this country.”
American Vice President Wants an IC Photo
Additionally, the US-Iran Understanding Memorandum has been questioned by some Trump supporters and Republicans in the United States. Vance urged these critics to believe in Trump. Vance said, “He believes in this agreement and will ensure its completion. If Iran does not comply with the agreement, we still have all the tools and leverage at our disposal.”
The American newspaper The New York Times also published an interview with Wants on the 18th. Wants harshly criticized Israeli far-right politicians like Ben-Gurion. He questioned, "What exactly do you plan to do? You are a country with a population of over 9 million; you cannot solve all national security problems through killings."
According to The Wall Street Journal, Vance’s remarks reflect growing differences between the United States and Israel. The Trump administration wants to emerge from this unpopular and costly war as soon as possible, while the Netanyahu government seeks to prolong military operations in order to ‘remove’ the threat posed by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has occupied parts of southern Lebanon, and continues to fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Although the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding states that “war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, should end,” Israel refuses to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. An official close to Netanyahu told Reuters that Israel is engaged in “tough” negotiations with the US regarding the presence of troops in Lebanon.
Regarding this, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaie warned on June 18 that if the Israeli Defense Forces continued to remain in southern Lebanon, the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the US would become invalid. He made it clear that as long as Israel continued to attack Hezbollah, any progress in the negotiations between Iran and the US would be impossible.
Bagheer pointed out that the negotiations aim to reach a final agreement, and the only prerequisite for this final agreement to be implemented is the full implementation of the memorandum of understanding. In Iran's view, this means the complete cessation of all military attacks and the end of the occupation.
