Is The US Coming Off As Weak?

The just signed MoU gave many concessions to the terrorist state of Iran. Should we be concerned, or is just another chess move?

FRANCE-DIPLOMACY-USA — Source: MAGALI COHEN / Getty

Is The US Coming Off As Weak?

Can the United States afford to be seen as weak in the face of Iran’s aggressive posturing? This week on the podcast, Tony Katz was joined by Cliff May, a national security expert from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to discuss the recent developments in the Iran nuclear deal.

The conversation centered around the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran, which has been touted as a major breakthrough in the negotiations. However, May was quick to point out that the MoU is not a peace deal, but rather a framework for further conversations. “A memorandum of understanding is a framework for a conversation for further negotiations,” he explained. “It’s exactly what the Iranians are going to be with you. It’s exactly what you just said.”

May’s concerns about the deal are rooted in Iran’s history of successful negotiations. “Iran has never won a war and never lost a negotiation,” he noted, but they have a long history of dragging out negotiations, especially when they’re getting what they want. “They know how to do it. They know how to be patient, they know how to wear the other side down, they know how to do this very well.”

The conversation also touched on the role of Vice President JD Vance in promoting the deal, which May believes is a concerning development. “This is like a treaty, this is major, and the Secretary of State is out of it, and instead you’ve got the Vice President out there selling a deal,” he said. “And you’re right, we don’t know exactly what’s in it, but there were great things in it. Wouldn’t you want to take those as talking points?”