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War On Iran: – Vance-Rubio Struggle – Oman Supports ‘Fees’
Vice President JD Vance was heavily involved in the ceasefire MoU with Iran. The first part of the Memorandum extended the ceasefire to Lebanon and was supposed to guarantee it sovereignty.
At the same time or shortly thereafter Secretary of State Marco Rubio negotiated an agreement with Lebanon and Israel which guarantees a continuation of the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanese land.
The Lebanon agreement is thus a direct attack on the MoU with Iran.
Via The Cradle we find some interesting speculation how this is an expression of a power struggle within Trump’s White House coterie:
The agreement between Lebanon and Israel cannot be understood through bilateral negotiations alone. It also reflects shifting power dynamics in Washington, where US policy toward Lebanon is shaped not only by official institutions, but by competition within the administration and the Republican Party, alongside pressure from pro-Israel lobbying groups, particularly the Zionist lobby and the hardline Lebanese Christian lobby.
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[This] is reflected in the quiet contest within the American right, particularly between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who represents the traditional pro-Israel Republican establishment, and Vice President JD Vance, whose camp has been more cautious about US involvement in West Asia.
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According to sources familiar with the matter, these tensions have extended beyond policy differences. Vance was reportedly angered after learning that Rubio had been planning a tour of the Gulf without consulting him beforehand. He also suspected Rubio of working behind the scenes with US envoys Jared Kushner, and possibly Steve Witkoff, in ways that could undermine Vance’s diplomatic achievements. Those close to Vance increasingly believe that Rubio, Kushner, and Senator Lindsey Graham have formed an informal alliance aimed at sidelining him ahead of the next presidential race.
Rubio has long be captured by the Zionist lobby while Vance is creature of tech tech billionaires. Which side has more firepower if there is a competition?
In other news of interest:
After U.S.-Iran War, Oman Said to Propose Hormuz Fee Plan (archived) – NY Times
Iran and U.S.-allied Oman are moving forward with plans to collect payment for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, despite public American objections, according to an Iranian official and four diplomats with knowledge of the matter.
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Oman recently delivered a formal proposal to the United States and other Western allies that outlined a plan in which shipping companies would pay service fees to use the strait, according to the Iranian official and a regional diplomat.
A person familiar with the U.S. position confirmed that American negotiators had received the Omani proposal and said that they had concerns that they intended to discuss with Omani officials.
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Oman’s proposal is partly modeled on arrangements in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, an Asian waterway where a private foundation collects voluntary contributions for safe navigation, the regional diplomat said.
Any fees in the Strait of Hormuz would be voluntary, the diplomat said. The Iranian official, however, said that the payments would be obligatory.
The U.S. will certainly put pressure on Oman to refrain from any agreement with Iran about ‘fees’.
A better strategy for Iran would be to stop talking about tolls or fees and to depict the future contributions to Iran by ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as reparation down-payments for the damage the USraeli war on Iran has wreaked.
The global public would likely understand that reasoning and agree with such ‘fees’.
Oman could take a share of the money and distribute it to those Gulf states where war damage on private property had also occurred.
“So, JD Vance said the goal of the MoU is to refill some stocks (oil, equipment, …) and then see where we’re going!
I’ll tell you where this is going, it’s going straight to blackmail to sign a nuclear agreement or we’ll bomb you again.”
https://t.me/FotrosResistancee/22450
Meanwhile regarding Gaza, Hamas demands phase 1 of ceasefire be implemented before wider negotiation (supplies promised to Gaza are a fraction, assassinations and bombings continue) , while international and ‘Peace Council’ try to shoe in the various self agreement of the ‘Board of Peace’ , which looks something like this :
Journalist Youssef Fares
“An informed Egyptian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Cairo negotiations are currently focusing on four main files:
– Immediate commencement of the work of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, giving priority to the work of the executive committees and postponing the discussion of the weapons file at this stage.
– Establishing a framework for a mechanism for storing weapons, and examining a formula that reconciles the principles of disarmament and storage.
– Agreeing on new tasks for the Peace Council, especially with regard to guarantees and mechanisms for implementing understandings.
– Completing coordination regarding the formation of the international stabilization force, with the expectation that the participating countries will soon become clear.
– The source indicated that there are still discrepancies, suggesting that Nikolay Mladenov will arrive in Cairo if the talks make progress in the latest amendments.
He confirmed the presence of intense Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish pressure to make the Cairo Round a success, with the participation of Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin, with efforts to accelerate reaching an agreement.
According to the source, the Israeli side is focusing on procedural files, most notably the inventory and classification of weapons, while the mediators seek to resolve the fundamental issues related to the start of the work of the international forces.
The source concluded by noting that there is a position he described as positive from the Hamas movement, while the Israeli position is still in doubt, with Washington expected to put pressure on Tel Aviv if implementable understandings are reached”
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 1 2026 15:00 utc | 124
Journalist Youssef Fares
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Press statement
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) denounces the statements issued by the so-called “Peace Council in the Gaza Strip,” and what was issued by the American administration regarding the future of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and the declaration that it has no place in the so-called “New Gaza,” in a position that is consistent with the Zionist occupation’s policy aimed at targeting the agency and undermining its role.
UNRWA represents an international witness to the Nakba of our Palestinian people, and an embodiment of international responsibility towards the Palestinian refugees. Its mandate is based on a mandate issued by the United Nations General Assembly, which makes any attempt to undermine or replace it a target of international legitimacy, and an attempt to liquidate the refugee issue and erase one of the most prominent international evidences of the Nakba, in a way that goes beyond the historical and inalienable rights of our Palestinian people, foremost of which is the right of return.
We warn against responding to calls to stop funding the agency, reduce its mandate, or replace it, and we stress that its continuation of performing its humanitarian and relief missions is an urgent necessity, especially in light of the humanitarian catastrophe created by the occupation in the Gaza Strip.
We call on the United Nations, donor countries and the international community to assume their responsibilities, ensure the continuation of UNRWA’s work and protect its international mandate so that our people can achieve their legitimate rights.
Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas
Thursday: 02 July 2026 AD
Corresponding to: 17 Muharram 1448 AH
Official website – Hamas movement”
https://t.me/s/youseffares19
Other declarations by Palestine scholars posted alongside there.
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 2 2026 15:54 utc | 139
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