The Congress on Thursday claimed that the newly released 14-point “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” between the United States and Iran reflects Pakistan’s growing diplomatic influence and raises serious questions over the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Centre government’s foreign policy approach.Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said the very naming of the agreement as the “Islamabad MOU” highlighted Pakistan’s enhanced standing in regional and global affairs.“The fact that it is called the Islamabad MOU shows the new-found regional standing and global influence of Pakistan,” Ramesh said, arguing that Pakistan had once faced international isolation following the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.He described the development as a setback for Prime Minister Modi’s foreign policy, claiming that Pakistan was now more deeply embedded in the geopolitical and security architecture of West Asia, with significant implications for India.Ramesh said the agreement, if implemented in both letter and spirit, could mark an important diplomatic breakthrough, but cautioned that its success was far from guaranteed.“The next 60 days will be crucial,” he said, adding that the understanding also carried the risk of turning into a “Memorandum of Misunderstanding” between the parties involved.The Congress leader said the agreement appeared to offer substantial gains to Iran, which, according to him, had demonstrated resilience despite military and diplomatic pressure. He also noted that Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which had borne the consequences of the conflict, had reacted cautiously and could reassess their regional partnerships in the coming months.Ramesh further described the agreement as a setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that he had become increasingly isolated internationally. He alleged that Prime Minister Modi remained supportive of Netanyahu’s actions in the region, including in Gaza, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank and said such a policy was proving costly for India.The Congress leader also termed the agreement a blow to the United States and Israel, arguing that the objectives with which the conflict began had not been achieved. He said the development had once again exposed the limits of military power.Taking aim at the Prime Minister, Ramesh criticised what he called Modi’s continued accommodation of US President Donald Trump, citing the Ministry of External Affairs’ readout of the Trump-Modi bilateral meeting as the latest example.The 14-point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the USA and Iran has now been officially released.1. The fact that it is called the Islamabad MOU shows the new-found regional standing and global influence of Pakistan, a country that had once been isolated on the…— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2026