Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren said the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran was never going to be honored by the Iranians [1].
Oren's comments highlight the deep-seated distrust between Israel and Iran, suggesting that diplomatic agreements with Tehran are fundamentally unreliable. This perspective arrives as the strategic relationship between the U.S. and Israel faces internal political pressure within the American legislature.
Speaking on the Fox News program “Life, Liberty & Levin,” Oren said he connected the issue of Iranian reliability to current U.S. congressional actions [2]. He specifically addressed a June 2024 amendment to cut $3.3 billion [2] in U.S. aid to Israel.
Oren characterized the aid reduction as a political move rather than a strategic shift. He said, "We have a strong U.S.–Israel alliance, and the recent amendment to cut $3.3 billion in aid is a political move that doesn’t change the strategic partnership" [2].
The former ambassador used the context of the 2015 nuclear-related memorandum to illustrate why Iran cannot be trusted to maintain its commitments [1]. By linking the failed promises of the MoU to the current aid debate, Oren framed the U.S. support for Israel as a necessary constant in a region where Iranian diplomacy is viewed as deceptive.
Oren said, "The MoU was never going to be honored by the Iranians" [1]. This assertion underscores a long-standing Israeli argument that any agreement allowing Iran to maintain certain nuclear capacities, or regional influence, is a strategic failure.
“"The MoU was never going to be honored by the Iranians."”
This statement reflects the ongoing tension between diplomatic efforts to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions and the Israeli view that such agreements are illusory. By framing the $3.3 billion aid cut as 'political,' Oren is attempting to decouple domestic U.S. legislative volatility from the broader, long-term security requirements of the U.S.-Israel alliance against Iranian influence.
