The MOU with Iran is not a peace agreement and is not binding. In American legal terms, it is an agreement to agree - a framework for negotiation, nothing more. The sanctions remain fully in place, the US military controls the Strait of Hormuz, and not a single cent of Iranian assets has been unfrozen. Iran has still been unable to sell its crude oil on international markets. Trump holds all the cards - and has shown he is not afraid to use them. When Iran violated the MOU by attacking commercial shipping in Hormuz, the US military struck Iranian radar, drone and air-defense infrastructure along the strait. That is not the behavior of an administration that has surrendered.
Forty-seven years of experience with this regime teach one thing: They play for time. They did it to Obama for eight years, to Biden for four. Now they hope to run out the clock before November. But Trump knows exactly who he is dealing with. When the moment comes - he will know what to do.
The reason for the current pause is no secret. The Republican majority in the House stands at just two seats. In midterm elections, the ruling party historically loses ground. The American voter does not go to the polls over foreign policy - he goes over gas prices, grocery bills, and the stock market. Brent crude has already fallen to around $73 a barrel since the MOU was announced. Markets are responding positively. Trump is managing a domestic political constraint before November - not reversing a strategic commitment.
If the Democrats take control of the House, they will immediately block military aid to Israel, open committee investigations, and begin impeachment proceedings against Trump. That would be a disaster - not just for America, but for Israel. More than 500,000 American citizens living in Israel - more than the voting population of ten American states combined - can be decisive in November. They need to register and vote.
And while everyone is focused on Iran, something historic happened in Washington: Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement - the first of its kind in decades. For the first time, Lebanon formally commits to dismantling Hezbollah throughout its territory. The US Army will train and oversee the Lebanese Armed Forces. Israel stays in the security zone until disarmament is verified on the ground. Hezbollah's furious rejection of the deal, and the riots that followed in Beirut, confirm exactly whose interests it threatens. This is not American retreat - this is strategic architecture for the day after.
Trump is the best president for Israel in modern history. Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the Abraham Accords, Operation Rising Lion. He didn't abandon us. He is managing a complex reality on multiple fronts simultaneously - and the record speaks for itself.
Marc Zell is the Vice President of Republicans Overseas and the Chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.