Iran — And President Trump — Has an IRGC Problem
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President Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social, “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.” His next post added, “This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region.”
Not if Hezbollah — or Iranian hardliners — has anything to do with it.
Fewer than 24 hours before the announcement, Hezbollah sent three projectiles toward northern Israeli communities. Israel responded by attacking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
“The IDF has now attacked terrorist targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut, in response to Hezbollah’s firing into Israeli territory,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
The exchange put Mr. Trump’s deal at risk — and he was not happy. The president lashed out at Mr. Netanyahu, telling Axios, “I couldn’t believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal. Why did Bibi have to do a f--king attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no f--king judgement.”
The president gave Iran exactly what it wanted — division between the United States and Israel using Lebanon and its Hezbollah proxy. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps served as Tehran’s intermediary.
In the balance: As the president pressed for his deal with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ensure Iran will not secure or develop a nuclear weapon, he ignored Israeli national-security interests. Hezbollah sits atop its list, as does Hamas, Houthi rebels, and Iran’s ballistic-missile and drone programs.
While the actual terms of “The Deal” the Mr. Trump agreed to remain undisclosed, Iran published its version of a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding online. The first demand listed calls for the “immediate and permanent cessation of this war on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
That is not going to happen. Not as long as the IRGC — Iran’s center of gravity — remains in existence.
“If the Iranians comply with this deal, it is going to fundamentally transform the Middle East for the next 50 years,” Vice President JD Vance stated Sunday on Fox News. “It is going to end the war.”
That’s a pretty big IF — considering what’s not in Iran’s memorandum of understanding.
It contains no mention of support to Iran’s proxies or its ballistic-missile and drone programs. It does mention more $324 billion in reparations and frozen funds. Israel knows where those funds will be allocated and who will manage them — the IRGC.
A spokesman from Mr. Netanyahu’s office said Israel will continue to defend itself against any threat to its security. Mr. Katz added this morning that Israel will not withdraw from the land it seized in Lebanon, making it clear Israel joined the United States in the war with Iran but was not party to “The Deal.”
And that will present a problem for Friday’s signing in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Netanyahu is not likely to play ball just so Mr. Trump can get his deal.
Decision point: To achieve peace in the Middle East, the president must address Israel’s national-security concerns. If not, Iranian hardliners will continue to leverage IRGC capabilities to achieve their ends. Allowing the IRGC to remain in power will not bring peace to the Middle East; it will destabilize the region for the foreseeable future.
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