Analyst Says Qatar, Not Pakistan, Drove the US-Iran Deal Behind the Scenes

Middle East analyst Yoni Ben Menachem said Thursday, in an interview with Tal Meir on Channel 14, that Qatar, not Pakistan, was the real force behind the U.S.-Iran understanding. He argued that Pakistan was only the public face of the talks, while Qatar worked behind the scenes until the last moment to secure a signature.

Ben Menachem said economic interests played a major role in advancing the deal, pointing to business ties involving Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and the son of U.S. President Donald Trump with Qatar. He said, "There are economic considerations here that outweighed security interests, American national security and Israeli national security."

He warned that the memorandum of understanding already contains especially troubling provisions for Israel. In his view, the main concerns are Lebanon, Iran’s nuclear program, and the removal of sanctions on Tehran, which could bring billions of dollars into the Iranian regime.

Ben Menachem also said the agreement does not require Iran to remove its stockpile of enriched uranium from its territory. Instead, the material would be diluted under supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency. He said Israel sees this as a retreat from previous U.S. positions and fears Iran will preserve a substantial part of its nuclear capability in any future arrangement.

At the same time, Iranian officials welcomed the developments. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament, said Iran is entering negotiations from a "position of strength" and declared that "victory on the ground is the basis for negotiations." He said Iran has created a new reality in the region and now enjoys a better standing internationally.