Washington Handed Iran the Paper and Kept the War by Pierre Rehvo

Gatestone Institute ^ | July 1, 2026 | by Pierre Rehov

[BeauBo]

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding tells Iran that Hezbollah survives and Israel leaves. The Trilateral Framework says that Hezbollah disarms and that, until it does, Israel stays in Lebanon.

The negotiations with Iran were led by Vice President JD Vance, who never wanted this war and made no secret of his wish to end it cheaply. He produced the Islamabad MOU, the paper Iran's regime wanted to hear. The Trilateral Framework was created by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has spent his career treating Iran's proxy network as a threat to be dismantled rather than soothed.

Iran negotiated the Islamabad MOU and believed it had won the war. It discovered that the Trilateral Framework, the only binding document, the one with mechanisms, was written to ensure the opposite.

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TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Hamas; Hezbollah; Iran; Lebanon; US: Ohio; War on Terror; Yemen
KEYWORDS: gatestoneinstitute; hezbollah; iran; irgc; jdvance; lebanon; ohio; pierrerehov; waronterror

[BeauBo]

The old "Good Cop, Bad Cop" "Mutt and Jeff" routine.

It's not Trump's first rodeo, when it comes to negotiations. He's got the cards.

[faithhopecharity]

Vance, Kushener, and Witkoff should be reassigned to less critical duties, imho. Maybe they could learn how to dig post holes for the border wall?

[pierrem15]

Vance, Kushener, and Witkoff should get some detailed world history classes so they can learn that hot international “deals” negotiated at nice hotels don’t mean squat if they’re not backed by cold steel.

[faithhopecharity]

excellent point!

[Midwesterner53]

Moving from Vance to Rubio for 2028, Vance is very damaged goods now.

[Antoninus]

Is that you, Bibi?

[South Dakota]

Rubio isn’t eligible

[faithhopecharity]

Bibi is mostly a wimp. One of the greatest orators, talkers in history. Living proof that the chivkrn crossed the road to make another speech. Smiles smiles.