To Trump: In the Middle East, loyalty is currency. If you abandon your closest friend halfway through a fight and cut deals behind their back while leaving them exposed, don't expect anyone to trust your guarantees again. You told the world, "The U.S. and Israel carried out an operation against Iran," then walked away and left your ally standing alone.
In the Middle East, we don't judge friends by speeches; we judge them by who stays when the missiles fly. A person who abandons an ally halfway and cuts deals behind their back is not someone you call in a crisis.
You will say it's about American interests. Fine. But others also have interests, and they have memories. You can call it "America's interests." We call it something else: leaving your friends in the storm.
Before asking, "Why don't they defend themselves?" remember that countries like Israel did and are still doing so alone.
And also remember that the UAE defended itself, struck back forcefully, and banned the Muslim Brotherhood. Many of your countries in the West did neither.
The lesson is simple. If you can leave your closest friend exposed today, why should anyone trust your promises tomorrow? Maybe it's time for the Middle East to start thinking about alternatives.
And yes, when Iran strikes again, don't assume the Middle East will dial Washington. People don't call someone who might leak information to Turkey or cut a deal with Tehran while their friends are still under fire.
As disastrous as the MoU surrender document is, I found Trump’s speech at the G7 to be even worse. It shows how much more he’s willing to concede. A complete disaster.
When you get an unobstructed view inside his mind, you see how broken his brain is.
I have never ever seen in my life the so obvious visualization of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” as I have seen with this MOU with the Iranian regime
Unbelievable, simply stunning
So at the end, there never was a 5D chess. Just a deranged and unstable lunatic who sold his principles, his allies, and his own country for the highest bidder.
I just had a very lengthy and productive discussion with @SEPeaceMissions@SteveWitkoff about the state of play regarding Iran.
After this discussion, it is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop.
Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying.
The economic stability that comes from opening up the Strait and the cessation of hostilities could create a pathway to peace well beyond the Iranian conflict.
The expansion of the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is President Trump’s and my ultimate goal. I think that is best achieved by creating economic stability for the United States, the region and the world, as well as the cessation of hostilities. The signing of the MOU is an essential step to make that happen and thus it is worthwhile.