Loading video...

Video Failed to Load

Go Home

Diplomacy failed. Sanctions aren’t enough. Trump is at a breaking point with Iran—and a return to major combat may be days away. Are we on the brink of an unavoidable conflict, or is this all leverage?

15,103 views • 4 days ago •via X (Twitter)

0 Comments

No comments available

Comments from the original post will appear here

Related Videos

Trump is once again signaling openness to diplomacy with Iran, telling reporters that: "I think Iran will come along... I'd love to take the sanctions off when they're ready to talk. They can't really survive with those sanctions — those sanctions are very tough." This is how he sounded in January and February—yet he still greenlit Israel’s attack on Iran and later bombed Iran himself. Tehran is now wary that talk of diplomacy may simply be a façade meant to lull it into a false sense of security before another strike. Trump may genuinely seek diplomacy, but convincing Tehran of that will be far harder given his perceived duplicity in May and June. Still, Iran has few good options. Rejecting diplomacy won’t improve its situation; it would only invite harsher sanctions and possibly another round of bombing. Even if diplomacy is a trap, refusing to engage directly does nothing to expand Tehran’s options. Direct talks may carry risks, but they at least offer a faint chance of a mutually acceptable exit—something total disengagement cannot provide. One thing remains unchanged, though: if Trump defines diplomacy as Iranian capitulation, it will neither succeed nor qualify as diplomacy—or even as a “deal.” A deal is possible; in fact, there nearly was one in May and June. But Trump abandoned his original “no nukes” red line in favor of Israel’s “no enrichment” stance—an escalation that predictably, and intentionally, steered events toward war. If Trump truly wants a deal rather than confrontation, he must reject Netanyahu’s red line and return to his own. Iran, for its part, should drop its resistance to direct talks. A direct and active channel between Trump and Pezeshkian is essential. Tehran made a major strategic error earlier this year by refusing to speak with Trump directly. That silence left Netanyahu and his allies in Washington dominating Trump’s ear, while Tehran limited itself to indirect communication through Witkoff. One final point: In 1991, the U.S. convened much of the Middle East for the Madrid Conference, which paved the way for the Oslo process and a new regional order. Iran was not invited—much to Tehran’s frustration, as it was then seeking improved relations with Washington and its regional neighbors. The U.S. chose instead a strategy to stabilize the region by isolating Iran, a policy that pushed Tehran into the role of spoiler Today, Trump is openly calling for Iran to be included. What an irony - and mistake - if Tehran dismisses that out of hand.

Trita Parsi

39,871 views • 9 months ago