Netanyahu’s Iran demands look out of reach as U.S. deal shifts focus to Hormuz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last Thursday that Israel expects four outcomes from the U.S.-Iran talks, but they now appear far off. On Friday, Washington is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding that would open formal negotiations, and Israeli officials see it as an Iranian maneuver that has exhausted U.S. patience. Netanyahu said Israel is not a party to the agreement and set four demands, removal of enriched material, dismantling enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and an end to support for proxy terror groups.
None of those goals looks close to being met. The memorandum, as reported in the U.S. and elsewhere, does not guarantee that about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent will be removed by the United States. Trump had previously said the stockpile became “nuclear dust” after Israel’s Operation With the Lion last year, but he has since downplayed the issue. On enrichment, Trump told The New York Times that “Iran will be limited forever to low levels of uranium enrichment that can never be used by the military,” but that still leaves enrichment facilities in place inside Iran. He also spoke of monitoring, though not necessarily by the United States, but by the IAEA, which has already been deceived by Tehran.
The remaining demands have also faded. Before the war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed limiting Iran’s ballistic missiles, but after Tehran refused to negotiate, the issue was dropped. The same happened with support for proxy groups, which Iran would not discuss and Washington did not insist on, despite Israel’s wish to include it in any future deal.
The article says the original Israeli and American aim was to force Iran into “total surrender,” but the ayatollahs remain standing and have taken control of the Strait of Hormuz, making it a central bargaining chip. Qatar, Pakistan and Turkey reportedly helped push Washington not to resume the war. In Israel, the traditional view is that no deal is better than a bad one, but Trump chose a deal that Jerusalem sees as very poor, while Iran buys time and may receive frozen funds tied to implementation language that remains vague.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported, citing an informed source, that Tehran plans to resume charging fees in Hormuz. It said the final understanding explicitly affirms Iranian and Omani sovereignty over the strait, and that maritime services there will be managed by Iran and Oman. According to the report, Iran will allow ships 60 days of free passage, after which it intends to collect revenue from traffic through the strait for economic development, through safety, navigation, environmental and insurance services.
