Seán Kelly, MEP, explains why the recent memorandum between the US and Iran cannot be treated as a finished peace deal and warns of wider regional consequences. He criticises the narrow US focus on energy markets and calls for EU action to prevent Israeli annexation of Lebanese territory.
Summary
Seán Kelly says the document announced is a memorandum of understanding and a framework for negotiations, not a concluded peace agreement. He stresses that difficult negotiations lie ahead and that the contents of the memorandum are not yet publicly known.
Memorandum versus peace
Kelly argues that while Iran today may be different, it is not necessarily better, and that treating the memorandum as the end of the conflict would be premature. He highlights the risk of reducing complex diplomacy to short-term market concerns and warns against complacency.
Regional consequences
Kelly warns that the effects of the conflict go beyond energy prices: Israel has increased its occupation of Lebanese territory and declared an intention not to withdraw. He describes the ongoing suffering in Lebanon and the danger of de facto annexation.
What the EU must do
As an MEP, Seán Kelly urges the European Union to take a clear stance to halt Israeli expansion and to insist on a negotiated, verifiable settlement rather than accepting narrow, market-driven fixes. He calls for sustained diplomatic attention as negotiations continue.
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Let's firstly get facts straight. A peace deal has not been achieved between the US and Iran. There is a memorandum of understanding, a framework for negotiations, and difficult negotiations lie ahead. Despite President Trump's words regarding what has been going on in Iran since the war began, one thing is clear. It is a different Iran, but not necessarily a better one. While the contents of this memorandum are not yet known to us, we can still say with some degree of certainty that Trump's announcement, let the oil flow, shows a narrow focus on energy markets. But the effects of this conflict have been more far-reaching than just increased prices at the fuel pumps. Israel has used the war to occupy more of Lebanon and have declared their intention not to withdraw. The nightmare is not over for the people of Lebanon, so the EU must work to halt Israeli expansion in the region through the annexation of Lebanese territory.
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