Rubio Undermines Vance Deal?

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0:30Ben Meiselas:Marco Rubio is rushing to the Middle East to try to sabotage the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. Rubio refused to show up at the Switzerland technical talks following the memorandum of understanding because he didn't want to be associated with the document. After progress was made in Switzerland, Rubio was working behind the scenes with the neocons and war hawks who want to try to destroy the MOU. Now he's taking a trip to meet with the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait to try to undermine the MOU. Since he's traveled to the UAE, he's made numerous statements that directly contradict the wording of the MOU.

1:10Ben Meiselas:And he's doing that to try to incite Iran and to try to be provocative to cause breaches of the Memorandum of Understanding. Let's talk about what went down. As I'm sure you know by now, Marco Rubio refused to participate in the technical talks in Switzerland. That is quite literally the job description of the Secretary of State to attend talks like this. Iran's Foreign Minister Aragchi was there, so was their lead negotiator, who's the head of their parliament, MB Ghalibov. But Rubio showed division right away within the U.S. negotiating team, which is, of course, a sign of weakness when your Secretary of State basically protests even showing up in the first place.

1:54Ben Meiselas:So he doesn't go to Switzerland. There appears to be some progress made in Switzerland, and a deconfliction cell, as it's called, is created in order to try to deconflict, to enforce the ceasefire in Lebanon as Netanyahu continued to attack within Lebanon, killing lots of innocent people. And the Lebanon file, as they call it, pretty much got removed away from Rubio, Netanyahu, and Lebanon in that kind of structure. And it got moved towards Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, Lebanon, United States, working together as part of a deconfliction cell. And so Rubio viewed that also as, are you trying to take away the Lebanon file from me, J.D.

2:46Ben Meiselas:Vance? No, I am going to be dealing with Lebanon. Well, you could have showed up at Switzerland if you wanted to and been involved in those talks, but you were trying to sabotage it then as well. So what Rubio's done though, is he's announced that he's going to take a trip and he's on that trip right now to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain. You see the U.S. Department of State post right here, Secretary Rubio's travel to the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, June 23rd through June 25th. Here's how they describe it on the State Department website. Again, he couldn't be bothered with the Switzerland talks, but now he's going to meet with the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

3:26Ben Meiselas:And it says, the Secretary will discuss a range of regional priorities, including the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region. In Bahrain, the Secretary will also meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss shared priorities across the region. Now, we know from reporting from MS Now, New York Times, Washington Post, and others that Rubio refused to show up and have any association with the Memorandum of Understanding and the technical talks. Here's how it's being described in this article from MS Now.

4:07Ben Meiselas:The choice of Vance, an anti-interventionist with limited high-level foreign policy experience, as the lead negotiator and defender of the 14-point interim memorandum of understanding, surprised some inside the White House in its orbit. One White House official who was granted anonymity to speak openly about internal dynamics said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, avoided becoming the face of the deal because he understood how unlikely it was to succeed. Vance, by contrast, believes a triumphant deal with Iran is not out of reach, the official told MSNOW. I think that goes and tells you what low character Marco Rubio it is.

4:47Ben Meiselas:I'm not trying to defend J.D. Vance here, but as the Secretary of State, you're supposed to be in talks like this. Instead, he went to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. And here he is as he lands in Abu Dhabi. And Rubio basically starts saying that the MOU and the subsequent technical discussions that Rubio didn't show up at are meaningless because there are super secret agreements that he says Iran agreed to that aren't in writing. But he says they, being Iran, know what they agreed to, and so they better deal with it, or else Donald Trump will have an important decision to make in the next 60 days.

5:31Ben Meiselas:So Rubio saying the MOU and the subsequent joint statement that came out of Switzerland, don't look at the writing. Look at the secret deal that Rubio knows about. And again, this is provocative language intended to incite Iran that previously said, we're going to go by what's in writing and do not listen to these provocateurs who are trying to sabotage the deal. Watch what Rubio said as he was landing in Abu Dhabi. Let's play it. Yesterday, the Iranian said that they had not been raised to inspection by a contradicting what Vice President Dan said. What is your understanding? Well, we know what they agreed to.

6:13I don't know why they have to say the things they say, whatever their internal or domestic politics is, I guess they'll navigate it. But we know what they agreed to do. And now they'll either do it or they won't. And if they do, the process moves forward. And if they don't, the president will have some decisions to make.

6:27Ben Meiselas:Now, Rubio also says, look, I'm here to talk to our partners like the UAE. And then he says, and when we talk about this MOU, there's really no deal yet. We're still one day out, two days out. So no one can actually expect this thing to really be a binding deal. Again, think about the language that Rubio is using, which is, and he doesn't show up in Switzerland. This is the language of someone who's trying to sabotage the deal. And he seems to be upset that there was some progress made in Switzerland, which has resulted in some more traffic coming out of the Strait of Ramos. I mean, not anywhere near pre-war levels, but here's what he says.

7:12Ben Meiselas:Play this clip.

7:37continues to grow. So my sense is that we're going to continue on that path, obviously taking into account the new regional dynamics that are at play. But we're really here to hear from them more than we are to talk. We want to hear, we want to hear their thoughts, especially in the aftermath of this weekend in Switzerland, and make sure that their views are taken into account in every decision that we make because they're our partners. Are all of our allies on board with Iran's peace framework. Well, I think all of our allies are on board with peace. Obviously, it all depends on the details of that peace as we work through, but it's a work in progress.

8:10This is an issue that's been going on for 47 years. So the idea that somehow it's going to get solved in a day and a half, I don't think anyone's been solving that.

8:17Ben Meiselas:Now, as you know, in the MOU, there is the$300 billion fund that's supposed to come from Arab nations that will be going to Iran to fund investment in Iran, right? That's in the MOU. Well, here Rubio landing in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates says, no, I'm not here asking the United Arab Emirates for any money. That's not part of the deal. Watch what he says. Let's play this clip. Don't allies here to consider helping with that. No, that's far down the road. It's a part of what's discussed that could happen. If Iran makes a decision, if its leadership makes a decision that they want to be a country instead of a revolutionary movement that exports terror, they're going to have an opportunity to do incredible things in Iran.

9:03I'm not promising you that that's the choice they're going to make. I'm saying if that's the choice that they make, then there will be opportunities. And those opportunities could include investment, as you've seen other countries in this region benefit from investment, from foreign direct investment. It won't be our investment. It won't be our government money. But I think that is something that's going to have to depend on progress made on a host of other security issues that have to be confronted in the days to come.

9:31Ben Meiselas:So you see what he's doing here? More for Marco Rubio over here as well on his trip to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. Rubio then says the Lebanon issue has nothing to do with the memorandum of understanding. and has nothing to do with the subsequent talks in Switzerland, which were intended to implement the MOU. He says, that's something that I am going to be dealing with, with Lebanon directly. Sorry, Rubio. That's very much in the MOU. And it's also in the subsequent joint statement arising out of the MOU. But watch what Rubio says here, because again, he's doing this on purpose to sabotage the deal.

10:16Ben Meiselas:Watch what he says. Play this clip. Meeting in Washington as we speak, is your position that that process should be separate from Iran peace deal? Well, that process is separate. It's separate because Lebanon is a sovereign country. It has a government. And when it comes to Lebanon and what's happening inside of Lebanon, we're going to negotiate and deal directly with the Lebanese government. I spoke to President Ayoun along with the vice president a few moments ago, spoke to him on Friday. Their people are there now on the ground directly. So the reason why that issue is over now, there's an Iranian issue with regards to Lebanon, and that is their support and sponsorship of Hezbollah.

10:48And so that factor will be discussed as part of our conversations with the Iranians. But as far as the future of Lebanon, the future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese people through their sovereign elected government. And that's who we're going to be working with.

11:02Ben Meiselas:And then the MOU also says that the control of the Strait of Hormuz will be under the supervision and part of the sovereign territorial rights of Iran and Oman. That is in the MOU. But here, Rubio, and you can see Rubio's face looks angry. He looks like an angry guy right here. And he's out there saying, no, they don't control it. It's an international waterway. They don't have any rights to say they control the Strait of Hormuz. Whatever you think about what Rubio is saying is irrelevant because that's what's in the MOU, that Rubio has refused to participate in the process and in Switzerland, but now he wants to go to the UAE and Bahrain and Kuwait and say, look, I'm your guy.

11:52Ben Meiselas:JD doesn't know what the hell he's doing. I'm your guy. We'll come up with a plan when this MOU dissolves. Watch what he says. Here, play this clip. How about Hormuz, if possible? Can the US and allies, can they guarantee navigation, freedom of navigation in this state? Well, that's the law. It's an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law. That's the way it is in international waterways all over the world. And that's the way we expect it'll be here. So I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard.

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14:05Ben Meiselas:And then Rubio escalates even more. And then Rubio attacks Iran. And he said, we can't have an end to these hostilities and conflicts as long as the Iranian proxies are launching missiles and drones from Iraq and participating in terrorism like Hamas did and Hezbollah did. And so again here, regardless of what you think about what Rubio is saying, Rubio, we do have an end of hostilities that we're trying to reach. It's in the MOU and it's in the technical talks that you don't want to be a part of. So Rubio is using the pre-war rhetoric and war rhetoric and not the let's reach resolution rhetoric.

14:50Now you may like Rubio's

14:53Ben Meiselas:rhetoric better? I don't know. My only point is that's inconsistent with what the deal is, that Trump signed in Versailles and held up while Rubio was behind him looking all angry. Watch what Rubio says here. Play this clip.

15:23Iraq and are participating in terrorism like Hamas did and like Hezbollah did.

15:27Ben Meiselas:And just so you can see, you know, we go into the writing here of what's in the MOU. Here's the Islamabad MOU between the United States. Paragraph one, the United States of America and Iran and their allies in the current war are signing this MOU to declare the immediate and permanent termination of the military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and undertake from now on to initiate, to not initiate any war or military operation against each other. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of war on all fronts, including Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph. It's built in to the MOU.

16:07Ben Meiselas:Then we look at the deconfliction cell that's talked about in the joint statement that came out of the Lake Lucerne-Bergenstadt conference in Switzerland. Moreover, that's what it says. The Qatari and Pakistani mediators read the following statement. Moreover, the parties agreed on the creation of a deconfliction cell between the parties, the Lebanese Republic, and facilitated by the mediators. That means U.S., Iran, Lebanese, Pakistan and Qatar. And Rubio is saying that's not actually happening. The technical talks will continue on that issue. And so as Hiba Nassar explained, the Lebanese and Israelis were supposed to discuss deconfliction mechanism this week at the State Department.

17:00Ben Meiselas:Instead, a new coordination cell has been announced that includes Lebanon, Iran, the United States, and the mediators, but not Israel. Whether this was coordinated with Rubio remains unclear, but it raises an obvious question. If these issues are now being handled through this new mechanism, what exactly are the Lebanese and the Israeli negotiators supposed to discuss this week? In essence, the Israelis were cut out of the deconfliction cell because they were viewed by the parties in Switzerland as the cause of conflict by invading Lebanon. And so Rubio, remember, the UAE and Bahrain are part of the Abraham Accords, which is that alliance in the first Trump term with Israel.

17:48Ben Meiselas:Kuwait is not. But Rubio is trying to bring this back to be controlled by Israel because that's what Netanyahu and Ben Gavir and Smutrich want. As Margaret Brennan of CBS explained, a diplomat attending the talks in Switzerland said that an emergency session on the Hezbollah-Israeli ceasefire was added. VP Vance also mentioned it was one of the two main issues tomorrow, though it had previously been handled by, quote, Marco. This is a strategies trift which had been trying to delink the conflicts. And it wasn't delinked. And it was now part of the memorandum of understanding because it's in there.

18:28Ben Meiselas:So that's what's going on behind the scenes. Meanwhile, you have the prime minister of Pakistan knows that Rubio will be working with the UAE and Bahrain and others to try to undermine this. And of course, with Netanyahu. Sharif says, there are spoilers all over the world who want to scuttle this peace deal. They don't want the Iranian nation, a great nation to come out of the ashes of war and touch the zenith of glory. Sharif also says the MOU doesn't mention ballistic missiles. It was never on the table. It was never on the agenda. There can't be a double standard where some countries can have ballistic missiles and Iran is not allowed to have them.

19:09Ben Meiselas:Iran, of course, can have ballistic missiles. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said there's no plans to let the IAE inspect their nuclear facilities. That's not in the MOU. We're not deviating from the MOU. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson also said, Iran's going to do what Iran wants to do with the assets that are now unfrozen. They're not going to be forced to buy agriculture, produce, corn, or other things from the United States of America. They may decide to do that, but they're not required to do that. And then you have the Al-Akhbar report the following. Qatar to mediate indirect Israel-Hezbollah talks as Lebanon folds into the U.S.-Iran track.

19:50Ben Meiselas:The Lebanese daily paper, the Al-Akhbar, citing sources close to the talks, reports that Lebanon's war has now been folded into the U.S.-Iran negotiations, Qatar emerging as the lead mediator. The paper describes this as a defeat for the U.S.-Saudi Guardianship Authority in Beirut, its term for Lebanon's Western-aligned political camp, that's what Rubio's trying to fight for, which says had wanted to negotiate directly with Israel and offer concessions. According to the report, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told Lebanese President Joseph Ayoun that Lebanon has become a central part of a broader negotiation with Iran.

20:29Ben Meiselas:It says the ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and post-war arrangements are no longer being handled solely by Lebanon, Israel, and the United States. That was the Rubio track. But within a new framework that includes Iran, Hezbollah, Qatar, Pakistan, Al-Akbar adds that Hezbollah and Iran would join the body overseeing implementation of the ceasefire and the Israeli withdrawal. And of course, you know, Rubio, Netanyahu, the neocons, the war hawks want to avoid that from happening. I'll remind you of what they're pushing on regime media Fox as well. Some of them are attacking J.D. Vance from the Rubio camp, like Brian Kilmeade.

21:13Ben Meiselas:Here, play this clip right here. A couple of things. If you look at Israel, I think J.D. Vance has to rethink his attack on Israel. The only reason Israel attacks anyone is because they were attacked. Four IDF soldiers died. That's why they hit it. But ultimately, here's what J.D. Vance was saying. You can hear for yourself a very different tone than what Rubio said. Let's play it. Go ahead. Thank you, sir. Jordan Conradsen with the Gateway Pundit. I want to talk back to the Lebanon component. There's a report in Axios that Netanyahu is fuming over this. Israel doesn't feel bound to the MOU as it relates to Lebanon.

21:51As you mentioned, your frustration with Israel's strike is real striking in Peru, hitting apartment buildings. If that continues, could it torpedo the deal? And what would the U.S.'s response be to a broader war in Lebanon? Yeah, well, I don't want to get into hypotheticals that could torpedo the deal, because I think the president's expectation is that all of our friends, the Israelis, the Arabs in the region, we're going to work together and actually see this deal to completion. Now, I saw the Axios report, you know, that Netanyahu is fuming. That's not reflective of the conversations that I've had with him.

22:26But maybe he's saying something to somebody else that he's not saying to me. What I will say, and this does bother me, is that you've seen people within BB's cabinet who have come out and attacked the deal and in some ways very personally attacked the president of the United States. And I guess my message to them would be twofold. Number one, Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.

23:07And the second message I would give to some of those cabinet members, Bibi, to his credit, has not gone down this path. But to some of these cabinet members in Israel who are attacking the president of the United States, The other thing that I would say is that over the last three months, two thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars. The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump. And anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.