As the US and Iran signed an interim peace deal to end months of conflict in West Asia, the document set off a political slugfest in India as senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the Modi government and its foreign policy.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed by the US and Iran on Wednesday was pushed by India's neighbour, Pakistan, which carefully positioned itself as the mediator in the peace negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The interim deal is widely being known as ‘Islamabad MoU’. Track live updates on Iran US deal
'MoU reflects Pak's new global influence'
Reacting to this, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed that Pakistan was once isolated globally by ex-prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh following the Mumbai terror attack of 2008. Ramesh said that the Islamabad MOU reflects 'Pakistan's new regional status and global influence.'
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“It is a serious blow to both the substance and style of Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy. Pakistan has now become more deeply embedded in the geopolitical and security architecture of West Asia, which carries serious and significant implications for India,” Ramesh wrote on X.
‘Memorandum of misunderstanding’
{{/usCountry}}“It is a serious blow to both the substance and style of Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy. Pakistan has now become more deeply embedded in the geopolitical and security architecture of West Asia, which carries serious and significant implications for India,” Ramesh wrote on X.
‘Memorandum of misunderstanding’
{{/usCountry}}He also said the MoU is a ‘serious setback’ for the US as major objectives of the war were not achieved at all. “The limitations of military power have once again been exposed. PM Modi's consistent appeasement of President Trump—whose latest evidence is the MEA's statement on last night's Trump-Modi bilateral meeting—is shameful and, in fact, truly anti-national,” he wrote.
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He said that while the interim deal it represents a major advancement, there are chances that it may become “Memorandum of Misunderstanding for both sides”. “For now, it can only be said that the next 60 days will be extremely crucial,” he wrote.
US, Iran sign deal to end months of war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the interim peace deal remotely. The two sides are expected to meet for negotiations in Switzerland on June 19, though Iran has said that it is still discussing negotiators' attendance at the ceremony.
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Iran also said that there will be no signing ceremony in Geneva.
The crucial agreement that ends months of war calls for Tehran to, at a minimum, dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and would waive but not permanently end sanctions on the country, the Associated Press reported, citing US officials.
The agreement would also open the Strait of Hormuz toll-free for two months and affirm a commitment to Lebanon’s territorial integrity in the face of Israel’s invasion against the Hezbollah militant group.