During this week’s political and security cabinet meeting, senior Israeli security officials expressed deep frustration over the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, according to a report by i24. They argued that the agreement eased pressure just as the Iranian economy was nearing collapse.
Briefing material presented to ministers said Iran had already reached the limits of its oil storage capacity, forcing it to keep crude in tankers and old vessels anchored at its ports. Officials said the regime had begun cutting oil output, a sign of the first stages of shutting down oil fields. One official warning shared in the meeting said, “If the Americans had continued the siege, Iran would not have been able to withstand it.”
Security officials also described severe shortages inside Iran, including basic goods, medicines, and long lines at gas stations. They said the continued blockade could have caused irreversible damage to the Iranian economy. According to two sources familiar with the discussion, ministers were told, “The Iranians are now on the verge of economic collapse.”
The US-Iran memorandum, however, pauses sanctions on oil exports for 60 days, a step expected to let Tehran resume exports and ease economic pressure. An official in the discussion said Iran had suffered “severe shortages,” while security sources said the money flowing to Tehran would be “like a painkiller,” but for the regime it is “like oxygen for breathing.”
