Z
Zaidoun El-Khanafi
Middle East political analyst and Founding Director of the Arab Perspectives Institute; PhD Politics & International Relations (University of Aberdeen)
1
APPEARANCES
1
PODCASTS
012
DEC 30
JAN 6
JAN 13
JAN 20
JAN 27
FEB 3
FEB 10
FEB 17
FEB 24
MAR 3
MAR 10
MAR 17
MAR 24
MAR 31
APR 7
APR 14
APR 21
APR 28
MAY 5
MAY 12
MAY 19
MAY 26
JUN 2
JUN 9
JUN 16
JUN 23
JUN 30
JUL 7
JUL 14
JUL 21
JUL 28
AUG 4
AUG 11
AUG 18
AUG 25
SEP 1
SEP 8
SEP 15
SEP 22
SEP 29
OCT 6
OCT 13
OCT 20
OCT 27
NOV 3
NOV 10
NOV 17
NOV 24
DEC 1
DEC 8
DEC 15
DEC 22
DEC 29
JAN 5
JAN 12
JAN 19
JAN 26
FEB 2
FEB 9
FEB 16
FEB 23
MAR 2
MAR 9
MAR 16
MAR 23
MAR 30
APR 6
APR 13
APR 20
APR 27
MAY 4
MAY 11
MAY 18
MAY 25
JUN 1
JUN 8
JUN 15
JUN 22
JUN 29
JUL 6
JUL 13
JUL 20
JUL 27
AUG 3
AUG 10
AUG 17
AUG 24
AUG 31
SEP 7
SEP 14
SEP 21
SEP 28
OCT 5
Jun 22, 2026
Can the US and Iran turn the ceasefire into a permanent peace?
A
4:34But Mr. El-Khanafi, can you talk to me then about your perspective on this? If the US is in such a poor position to offer trust, what can the two sides then do together in such a short timeframe when a requirement is a final deal to actually get that level of trust required?
Z
4:52Zaidoun El-KhanafiGUEST
Well, the, the honest answer is not yet, but both sides have enough fear to keep talking, right? The, the MOU is a, is a ceasefire management tool as of now based on many observations and not really a trust-building exercise.
Z
5:06Zaidoun El-KhanafiGUEST
It's a fourteen-point framework that extends the ceasefire and sets perhaps the stage for the talks, uh, particularly the technical talks as we know of it today.
Z
5:16Zaidoun El-KhanafiGUEST
Um, Iran commits not to acquire a nuclear weapon, but no enforcement mechanism has yet been decided.
Z
5:23Zaidoun El-KhanafiGUEST
Now, these s- structural, uh, frameworks can be viewed through three structural trust problems that would stand out.
Z
5:30Zaidoun El-KhanafiGUEST
Firstly would be that Iran's hardliners, where we have to consider the internal diversities, are already undermining their own negotiators.
Z
5:39Zaidoun El-KhanafiGUEST
You've got Tasnim News Agency, aligned with the IRGC, have warned the Foreign Minister Araqchi, who is putting, uh, some efforts into these talks, against going to Switzerland empty-handed and said Iran had no obligation to keep the Strait of Hormuz open since, um, the MOU had been violated in Lebanon.
8 MINS LATER