Choose the American president Donald Trumpwho fiercely defends his signing of the memorandum of understanding with Iran On June 17, he will be entrusted with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Rubio The task of convincing the Arab Gulf states that the memorandum does not disturb the regional balance in Tehran’s interest, as he entrusted his deputy J.D. Vance The task of convincing some Republicans who reject the war that the memorandum serves the national security of the United States.
Reassuring Gulf allies
Rubio focused on the state The UAE United Arab Emirates andKuwait andBahrain To remove any ambiguity regarding the provisions contained in the ambiguous memorandum of understanding related to the Strait of Hormuz or the $300 billion investment fund, which Vance said countries Gulf Arabic is the one that will contribute to it, though US You will not pay a single cent for it, in addition to Washington’s acceptance of the “unity of the arenas,” based on the link between the opening of the Strait and the imposition of American pressure on Israel To adhere to the ceasefire in Lebanon and establish a “Conflict Prevention Cell” that includes America And Iran andLebanon And the Pakistani and Qatari mediators.
But Rubio stressed that he would not ask regional allies to contribute to any investment fund, even if the memorandum of understanding with Iran indicates that countries in the region will bear, at least partially, responsibility for covering the costs.
In denial of linking the Iranian and Lebanese tracks, Rubio explained that Washington It deals directly with the Lebanese government, stressing that the issue of “Iranian agents” in the region will be one of the files that will be raised at the appropriate time during the ongoing discussions with Tehran.
Rubio culminated his tour with a meeting with foreign ministers Gulf Cooperation Council In Bahrain. During the meeting, the American Minister settled the controversy by confirming that… Strait of Hormuz “It is not the property of any country,” and that any decisions in negotiations with Iran will take into account the interests of “our allies” in the region. He stressed that Washington wants an agreement with Iran, “but not at any price.”
In a step that reflects post transformations WarAgence France-Presse attributed to an informed diplomatic source that it is expected to host Riyadh A summit aimed at reforming relations between Iran and its Gulf neighbors, and perhaps other regional parties.
It should be noted, in this area, that Saudi Arabia andPakistan andEgypt andTürkiye Meetings are held among themselves, in light of the changes taking place in The Middle East In light of the US-Iranian memorandum of understanding and the ongoing negotiations between the two sides.
A man dressed as Uncle Sam during a protest rally against the results of the US presidential elections in Atlanta, November 18, 2020. (AFP)
Contain Republican restlessness
On the American internal front, Trump turned to Vance to calm the fears of Republican senators who voted in favor of a draft resolution submitted by the Democratic minority to restrict the US president’s war powers.
After a stormy meeting on Wednesday in The white houseIt included verbal altercations between Trump and Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, and Paul Rand, who voted on Tuesday for DemocratsThe resolution was adopted as a moral blow to the US President. Vance worked to dispel the concerns of the angry senators, which made them change their vote on a second Democratic draft resolution restricting Trump’s powers and demanding that he return to Congress regarding the war. The second project fell by a majority of 53 votes to 47.
Trump desperately needs support RepublicansAt a time when the White House applied for an additional appropriation of about $88 billion to cover war expenses.
Some Republican lawmakers are calling on Trump to provide more clarity about the war, and the subsequent signing of the memorandum of understanding and entering into negotiations for 60 days.
What worries Republicans most is the strong public opposition to the war, on the eve of the war Midterm elections. Despite the decline in prices Oil Following the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the prices of gasoline and diesel, which rose during the war, did not decline, while inflation remains at high levels.
Vance and Rubio face two tasks with two fateful dimensions for the two men, taking into account that one of them will be the candidate to win the nomination. Republican Party For the presidency in 2028. Today, they are facing a test to see who Trump trusts more.
