US and Iran Sign Islamabad MoU Amidst Airstrikes
On Thursday, 18 June 2026, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), paving the way for technical talks between US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. However, the inaugural session scheduled for Friday, 19 June, was postponed due to extensive airstrikes on southern Lebanon by Israel, causing dismay among US officials.
60-Day Timeline Tests Diplomatic Skills
The 60-day timeline for the talks will test diplomats' abilities to weigh every word, phrase, and sentence, reading minds and assessing thought processes through mood, body language, and gestures to prioritize strategies. The past months have shown Iranians as patient, tough, and skilful negotiators, while US officials have displayed the opposite traits. Throughout the war, Iranian leaders exhibited patience, fortitude, steadfastness, resoluteness, and dignity, rarely responding to President Trump's profanity-laden statements despite immense losses in senior political and military leadership.
Trump's War Fatigue and Iranian Resilience
The war demonstrated that Donald Trump is not a leader of war, lacking courage and patience for a long, asymmetrical conflict. During the 70-day war, he displayed impatience, weariness, and anger, threatening to bomb Iran into the Stone Age. In recent weeks, he showed clear signs of war fatigue and desperation for a quick exit. His uncivil approach did not distract Iranians, who presented their viewpoint politely and pursued national interests with firmness, winning global accolades and frustrating their foes.
Iran's Unwavering Stance in Negotiations
Iranian leaders took an unwavering stand on: a) cessation of war on all fronts, including Lebanon; b) protocol for marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz; c) war reparations; d) unfreezing of assets; e) withdrawal of American forces from the region; and f) sanctions relief, with the nuclear program and enriched uranium stockpile to be discussed later. The US blockade of Iran's seaports hurt Tehran economically, but Iranian negotiators did not rush, knowing Trump's war weariness and concerns over midterm elections, potential global economic collapse, and falling approval ratings. He has emerged as the most unpopular midterm leader in recent US history. Iranians intentionally prolonged talks to secure concessions.
14-Point MoU Accommodates Iranian Demands
The text of the 14-point Islamabad MoU gives a convincing impression that all Iranian demands have been accommodated. The war has concluded on all fronts, including Lebanon, though Israel claims its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon is not included—a claim refuted by US officials. With the clergy regime intact despite senior leader martyrdoms; a pledge of $300 billion for rebuilding Iran; release of $24 billion from frozen assets; tacit acceptance of Iranian control over Hormuz; no apparent abandonment of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis; exclusion of Iran's missiles from talks; and no outright surrender of enriched uranium stockpile, the MoU accommodates all of Iran's vital demands.
Kissinger's Warning and US Undependability
The Middle Eastern war reaffirms the US's continued undependability. Dr. Henry Kissinger declared American friendship fatal in the context of the Vietnam War when President Nixon planned to betray the US-allied regime in Saigon. This tag of undependability remains. The technical talks, with Israel's sabotage plan looming, will determine the final shape of Trump's 'beautiful deal.' The question remains what geopolitical, economic, and strategic advantages it portends for Iran in exchange for renouncing nuclear ambitions, a softer approach to Israeli inroads, and silence over the Palestinian cause and human rights violations—Israel's main war objectives.
Lessons from History and Pakistan's Position
Iranian leaders know how the US ditched its ally Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, declining to host him for cancer treatment. The painful ends of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi are unforgettable lessons. Arab monarchs and emirs are at a crossroads: will they overcome traditional rivalry and devise a framework to stem foreign intervention? This is the moot question. Pakistan has experienced US betrayal more than once—in 1989 after Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and in 2002-2003 when the US invaded Iraq without consulting Pakistan or its Arab allies after securing support for the anti-terrorism war. Pakistan must walk a tightrope to avoid diplomatic pitfalls.
