M Santhananaban
Reliable reports from Islamabad, Tehran and Washington suggest that a peace deal to end the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran was within reach – and within hours.
The momentum has been unmistakable.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Sunday that a peace deal between the US and Iran had been reached. The formal signing ceremony is set for 19 June in Switzerland.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister confirmed the agreement shortly after.
Pakistan has played a pivotal role throughout. As mediator, Islamabad shepherded months of painstaking negotiations while keeping both sides at the table.
Iran has remained firm on one point: any deal must include progress on Gaza and Lebanon. That position reflects a wider international anxiety about the human cost of a conflict and genocide that has already gone on far too long.
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Trump’s bind
US President Donald Trump continues to blow hot and cold, though he did declare on Truth Social: “The deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.”
The political pressure on him, though, is real. If the war drags into July, it will cast a shadow over America’s planned celebrations of the 250th anniversary of its independence on 4 July.
His leadership and legacy are looking increasingly threadbare. Delivering this deal matters to him and to his tattered place in history.
Israel’s inconvenient intransigence
But the picture is not entirely rosy. Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular, remains visibly at odds with the US over this peace process.
Netanyahu has declared that Israel is “not a party” to the deal. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have already threatened to derail the agreement.
This Israeli intransigence must be stopped by the US if peace is to have a chance. Trump himself has a particular responsibility to rein in Netanyahu. It was, after all, the US and Israel that started this war. Let us hope Israel realises the limits of its power and influence over Trump.
It would seem the US and Trump will ultimately bear the blame for this mess. The US has failed to a clinch a triumphant victory in this war. But this is being downplayed for broader peace objectives to prevail.
A comprehensive peace agreement will stand a better chance if it carries the endorsement of the UN.
For the people of Gaza, Iran and Lebanon, let us hope there is some positive change – and that this time, the deal holds.
Dato’ M Santhananaban is a former Malaysian ambassador with 45 years of public sector experience.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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