President Donald Trump says he sent Iran a letter calling for the two countries to negotiate an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. During his first term, Trump withdrew from a deal with Iran that limited and inspected Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
In a clip of an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that was released on Friday, Trump said that he sent the Iranian letter calling for new negotiations, but suggested a war could break out if an agreement isn’t reached.
“I would rather negotiate a deal. I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily,” Trump said. “But the time is happening now, the time is coming up. Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I’ve written them a letter, saying I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”
He added, “There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal.” The full interview with Bartiromo will air Sunday. Iranian diplomats at the UN said they have not received the letter that Trump claimed was sent on Wednesday.
Trump has said there is an urgent need to address the Iran nuclear issue. However, as recently as January, the US intelligence community did not believe Iran had decided to weaponize its civilian nuclear program.
Even if the letter was sent, Tehran may not be receptive to talks with Washington. Iran and the US had a nuclear deal that Tehran was complying with before Trump abandoned the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018.
In February, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed the issue explaining, During the Barack Obama presidency, “we sat down and negotiated with the US for about two years, and an agreement was formed. In this agreement, the Iranian side was very generous and gave many concessions to the other side.”
“But the US did not carry out that agreement. The same person who is now in office tore up that agreement. We must learn from this experience.” He continued, “One must not negotiate with a government like the US government. Negotiating with it is not wise, it is not intelligent, and is not honorable.”
The Ayatollah stopped short of ruling out talks with the US.
Last month, Trump signed an executive order calling for more sanctions on Tehran to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero.” At the time, he said he was “not happy” with signing the order.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.
Another fucking threat from Donald One-Note.
The neocons wet dream might just be coming true. And threats towards Russia and Iran on the same day. The Don's approval ratings will skyrocket.
Mobster negotiation: Agree to our term or we’ll wreck your business.
The Biden admin wouldn't talk to their perceived adversaries, they did not do Diplomacy. I'm calling Trump's Bullyplomacy. As a helpless observer I find it agonizing, but in terms of conflict management it's better than nothing 🙂
"conflict management it's better than nothing" Is it? Tell me how attacking Canada economy over 22 pounds of drugs better than doing nothing?
A red herring.
Exactly, trump knows that there is nothing Canada can do to reduce that drug traffic to even a lower amount.
Only time will tell.
The Biden administration didn't do "Diplomacy;" the Trump administration does "Bullyplomacy."
I'm trying to find comfort in the position, though gut-wrenching, it's better than none.
Well Worth the Time: Tucker Interviews Qatar PM
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Only when your definition of Racism = Caucasian, particularly Christian Caucasian.
Making you the definition of the word Bigot.
Bigot is your middle name.
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Trump created a new conflict with Iran by pulling out of the nuclear deal, and in January 2020, he tried to start a full-scale war with Iran by ordering the assassination of Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Iraq.
Trump scrapped Iran nuclear deal 'to spite Obama'. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48978484
Donald Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal to spite Barack Obama, according to a leaked memo written by the UK's former ambassador in the US. Sir Kim Darroch described the move as an act of "diplomatic vandalism."
Israel has a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons, yet, Israel refuses to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), despite international pressure to do so.
In November 2023, Israeli junior Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu publicly called for dropping a nuclear bomb over Gaza.
Israel is a nuclear 'Rogue State' and an existential threat to international law and world peace.
Rank hypocrisy is synonymous with Israeli war criminals.
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"he tried to start a full-scale war " I have to disagree. Iran fired 20 missiles at a US air base after killing of the general. If trump wanted to start a war he had his excuse. Instead, he backed down.
Gen. Mark Milley repeatedly warned Trump not to strike Iran, saying “If you do this, you’re gonna have a fúcking war.”
Trump asked his advisors for options to attack Iran’s main nuclear site just days after sacking his Defense Secretary. An array of top advisors persuaded Trump against pursuing such a strike with such a short time left in his presidency, warning the move could spark a broader conflict.
https://www.businessinsider.com/milley-warned-trump-on-iran-strikes-youre-gonna-have-a-f-ing-war-2021-7
And as I said, if trump intended to start a war as you claimed in your initial comment he had his excuse. Thus I don't think that he was trying to start a war by killing the general. He just wanted to knockoff a terrorists leader.
Like I said, officials had to restrain Trump from doing something drastically stupid.
And, General Qasem Soleimani was considered the second most powerful person in Iran, behind Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His assassination was nothing less than a blatant act of war. Trump officials justified the strike by saying it was “necessary” to stop an “imminent attack”, which of course, was a fabricated excuse for an illegal pre-emptive strike that then became the subject of legal debate.
Five Iraqi nationals and four other Iranian nationals were also killed alongside Soleimani, including the deputy chairman of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and commander of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The Pentagon claimed Soleimani and his troops were “responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.” … Rank hypocrisy.
Netanyahu is a terrorist leader and a wanted war criminal. Since taking office, Trump has approved nearly $12 billion in major FMS sales to Israel.
Trump Admin Bypasses Congress to Send Israel $4B as It Blocks Aid Into Gaza. https://truthout.org/articles/trump-admin-bypasses-congress-to-send-israel-4b-as-it-blocks-aid-into-gaza/
And why didn't the officials restrain trump from killing the general in the first place? I don't buy trump was trying to start a war with this killing, because if it was his intention Iran played right into his hand. Trump was taken by total surprise that Iran fire missiles at US airbase. Iran correctly concluded that trump would do nothing after Iran fired on US airbase.
And Iran is now in a great position to proceed with nuclear weapons. Trump polices are destroying relationship with nations that would be needed in war with Iran. Combined that by putting a TV anchor in charge of the military along with firing of top leaders because of their sex or color of their skin and US military is becoming weak.
And why didn't the corrupt Supreme Court disqualify King Donald from running again as set out in the Fourteenth Amendment Section 3 of the US Constitution? Because the US is a beacon of Western democracy? LMAO!
I don't buy your bullshit that Trump was "taken by total surprise" by Iran's retaliation.
Some experts, including the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, considered the assassination of Soleimani as a likely violation of international law as well as U.S. domestic laws.
Iran called the strike an act of "state terrorism". The Iraqi government said the attack undermined its national sovereignty and considered it a breach of its bilateral security agreements with the U.S. and an act of aggression against its officials.
On 5 January 2020, the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding resolution to expel all foreign troops from its territory while, on the same day, Iran took the fifth and last step of reducing commitments to the 2015 international nuclear deal.
Soleimani's killing sharply escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Iranian leaders vowed revenge, while U.S. officials said they would preemptively attack any Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq that they perceived as a threat.
Many in the international community reacted with concern and urged restraint and diplomacy. On 8 January 2020, five days after the airstrike, Iran launched a series of missile attacks on U.S. forces based in Iraq, the first known direct engagement between Iran and the U.S. since 1988.
U.S. sanctions on Iran are a form of economic warfare just as deadly as bombs, especially during the pandemic and its accompanying economic meltdown.
He just wanted to knockoff a terrorists leader.
Again, proof that the propaganda machine WORKS.
Where is the Road Runner?! lol
😉
”One man’s ceiling, is another man’s floor”… … … …
Was it emailed or snail-mailed…?!
LOL. He does not know. In fact who knows if he wrote the letter at all?
Trump rambling and lying at the same time…!
The bullying US insists on talks to make a one-way deal not to resolve anything but rather to show its dominance…! Using talks to impose their demands face to face…!
It falls along the path of “I tried diplomacy, it’s their fault we have to bomb them”.
If Iran reject the US demands… US media portraits it as they abandoned talks…!
More like, “they didn’t want to talk”, without the context of having been double crossed the last time, ‘cause that’s how corporate media rolls.
Trump is trying to break the growing bonds and cooperation in every field (military/defense, trade, education/science and fight against terrorism) between Russia and Iran.
This is prime objective behind Trump's conciliatory tone towards Russia. He wants to isolate Russia's interests and activities in ME so he can protect Israel and it's expansionist ambitions without any resistance and substantial opposition.
He wants to go to war against Iran but first he need to break the alliance between Iran and Russia. That is not gonna happen…and Russia knows Trump cannot be trusted.
The fact is Trump is the western oligarchy's spearhead and their proxy. He represent the powerful men behind the western international corporations and industries. He is representing their arrogance and disrespect for any law, order and established institutions, organs and international conventions. They want to reshape the world by neutralizing any national independence and free thinking.
Russia’s alliance with Iran is on shaky ground to begin with.
This is a reverse Kissinger: separate Russia from China.