June 17, 2026, 9:38 p.mJune 17, 2026, 9:38 p.m
A senior former US State Department official has described his country’s framework agreement with Iran as a “strategic fiasco of epic proportions.” The agreement, which is to be signed on Friday in Switzerland, means “a break with almost fifty years of US policy towards Iran that has been supported by both parties,” Joel Rubin told the TV channel i24news. Rubin was a State Department employee during the administration of then US President Barack Obama.
The framework agreement means an end to the “idea that Iran is a negative actor in the region”. Rubin warned of a scenario in which “hundreds of billions of dollars could now be handed over to Tehran without any restrictions.” Rubin said they were apparently hoping for “some kind of better agreement in the next 60 days, after Iran has already been paid and has already received the benefits and concessions of the agreement” without committing to anything serious in return.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also advocated for a tougher line towards Tehran with US President Donald Trump in the past. In 2018, he encouraged the highly controversial decision to withdraw from the international nuclear deal with Iran. Looking back, Israeli security experts also classify this step as a strategic mistake. (hkl/sda/dpa)