Trump Suggests Deal with Iran, Forgetting His Own Blockade History
Donald Trump, meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza, declared, "I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal that's much smarter." One might wonder which 'deal' he's referring to, given his track record. This is the same candidate who, in 2018, unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multinational agreement
that successfully constrained Iran's nuclear program, calling it "the worst deal ever." The JCPOA was verified by the IAEA as being adhered to by Iran at the time of Trump's withdrawal. Today, with a region aflame, Trump offers generic wisdom about 'smarter deals.' It's a rhetorical trick: demand unconditional surrender, call it 'negotiation,' then blame the other side for not being reasonable.
The Bloomberg wire, however, simply presents it as a profound statement. As if the last six years of escalating tensions and sanctions since his JCPOA exit just vanished from memory. How many times can a 'deal' be broken by one side before the other stops listening?