An Iranian university professor, Hakimeh Saghaye-Biriyah, said the memorandum
was never properly implemented and its first paragraph is effectively void. She
said Israel has neither agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon nor stopped
strikes on Lebanese territory, while the United States continues to reserve the
right to use force—an approach she said contravenes the spirit of the
memorandum’s first paragraph. She stressed the memorandum’s sovereignty clause
covers land, territorial waters and airspace, and said Iran is watching whether
the US will respect Iranian sovereignty in waters of the Strait of Hormuz or
seek ways to circumvent it. She said these developments call into question
whether the memorandum was ever executed in practice.
