Panel: Is Trump's optimism justified in the Iran negotiations?

[0:00] Tonight, could talks between the U.S. and Iran be starting back up again? [0:04] President Trump teased that very possibility today, [0:07] telling the New York Post to stay in Pakistan because, quote, [0:11] something could be happening over the next two days. [0:14] If talks continue later this week, sources tell CNN that Vice President J.D. Vance [0:19] will once again lead those negotiations. [0:21] There's a lot of, of course, mistrust between Iran and the United States of America. [0:25] You're not going to solve that problem overnight. [0:27] But I feel very good about where we are. [0:32] So a lot of optimism from the president and his vice president. [0:36] But, Peter, it's not the first time that we've heard them express optimism about a negotiation [0:41] when maybe that was a little bit too on the bright side. [0:47] The gaps that they have to kind of bridge between Iran and the U.S. are still pretty large. [0:53] President Trump told the New York Post that he was not pleased with reports that the U.S. [0:58] had asked Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment for at least two decades during the last weekend's [1:04] unsuccessful talks. [1:05] I've been saying they can't have nuclear weapons, so I don't like the 20 years. [1:10] Understandable. [1:11] But Iran is at five years. [1:13] So even getting to 20 years seems hard to do. [1:17] Getting to never, ever, ever seems even harder. [1:21] And that's something that Donald Trump, throughout negotiations, has been very good at, is throwing [1:26] something on the table and then removing it. [1:28] Traditionally, in a negotiation, you put it on the table. [1:30] If it's on the table, great. [1:31] It's up for discussion. [1:32] It's kind of a sacrosanct thing. [1:33] That is not his approach. [1:36] Where we are right now, and I think this is where you see the naval blockade that the [1:40] U.S. has started to enforce against Iranian ships that have left port in Iran or that [1:45] are going to ports in Iran, forcing them to turn back, forcing them to not continue on [1:51] their journey, denying the Iranians that oil revenue. [1:54] That is ratcheting up the pressure against the regime to an inordinate amount. [1:59] And where we are right now, frankly, I feel good about. [2:01] Do you have any reason to feel good about it? [2:06] Meaning, like, any indications that we're actually close to a deal other than the president [2:10] saying two days? [2:11] We don't know, except for, like, minor leaks, what has come out of the Islamabad talks and [2:16] what the consequences have been when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran and their [2:20] conversations, right? [2:21] We're relying on leaks there. [2:23] But the reality is that the screws are being tightened to an inordinate degree against that [2:27] regime at the moment. [2:29] If I were in their shoes and looking around at all my options, you don't have any. [2:35] So the question between five years and 20 years and never years, going between all of [2:40] that, that is where, ultimately, at the end of the day, they need to figure out what is [2:43] in their best interest. [2:44] I thought that regime was deposed, for one. [2:46] And two, I think when we're- [2:47] I mean, the Mullah, the Ayatollah, Comedys' dad, most of us here are running a revolutioner, [2:52] guard leadership, her dad. [2:53] The fact is that we're still arguing for the same things that the JCPOA did. [2:58] No. [2:59] I mean, and- [3:00] Ballistic missiles and proxies. [3:01] Oh, actually, if you want to go back to it, we actually had a deal in place where there [3:05] was no nuclear enrichment within 20 years. [3:08] We had this conversation last night. [3:09] And we also- [3:10] Ten years, they could start emerging in 15 years. [3:11] And we also- [3:12] And we- [3:12] Correct. [3:13] Exactly. [3:13] Which we don't have right now. [3:14] And then we also had inspectors going in, being able to check, trust, and verify what [3:18] they were doing. [3:19] We don't have that right now. [3:20] Which also would have ended a year and a half ago. [3:21] But we also have something that most people don't want, which is that in order to get to [3:28] where you're talking about, which is actually destroying their entire nuclear program, we [3:33] have to put boots on the ground. [3:35] And nobody wants to say- [3:36] I don't think that's true. [3:36] Oh, that's- [3:37] First of all, first of all, let's not lie to the American people. [3:41] We actually know that their nuclear enrichment program is actually deep, deep, deep, deep, [3:45] deep. [3:46] You cannot- [3:47] If we want to secure the uranium, yes. [3:49] But- [3:49] I agree with you. [3:50] Exactly. [3:50] So let's not lie to folk and just say that we can just bomb from on- [3:54] You cannot. [3:55] You cannot destroy their entire nuclear enrichment program unless you put- [3:58] boots on the ground. [3:59] That's a fact. [4:00] That's not something we're making up. [4:02] That's not something we're just talking about on air. [4:04] If in the, you know, context of a diplomatic negotiation, say, you know what? [4:08] That highly enriched uranium we're sitting on, it is no longer beneficial for us to- [4:11] I would actually- [4:13] Bakhari, we have boots on the water right now. [4:17] I mean, it's, you know, let's not- [4:19] There's a ship in between. [4:20] Well, yes, I know there's a ship in between, but that ship can easily be targeted by Iranians [4:24] and they would be toast. [4:26] So we have American lives. [4:28] You're telling me that you don't think- [4:29] We've also lost American lives. [4:30] We've lost American lives and we have American lives at risk there right now, so let's not [4:34] pretend we don't. [4:35] No. [4:36] I'm not going to dispute that. [4:37] You're absolutely right. [4:38] And there are realistically going to be boots on the ground. [4:39] We have boots on the boat. [4:40] That's a funny expression. [4:41] Why is that realistically, though? [4:42] Why is it realistic? [4:43] I'm agreeing with you. [4:44] Because I feel- [4:45] I've heard a lot of reasons why people are really against what Trump has done, but I'm [4:48] also not really hearing a rational response why we should let Iran just be. [4:52] To pretend that this war was completely unnecessary and pretending that Iran is not a threat and [4:56] pretending it's normal that they swear in their president and Ayatollah screaming death [5:00] to America and pretending that enrichment is not a problem, whether it's short-term or [5:04] long-term, when a regime literally hates Western values, when a regime taxed our allies, I [5:08] also think it's being ignorant. [5:10] Now, I don't want to copy what Europe is doing, where they want to mortgage their future for [5:14] 10 years of comfortability at the expense of a long-term problem. [5:17] So I appreciate the fact that maybe it's short-term pain for a longer-term solution. [5:21] Is it ideal? [5:22] No, no, no. [5:23] No. [5:24] What's the pain? [5:25] Because I heard the talking points, and they're great. [5:26] And I actually agree with some of you, some of what you said. [5:29] Because listen, I don't want a nuclear-enriched Iran. [5:33] I don't think Iran deserves to have a nuclear weapon. [5:35] I think they've sponsored terror for 40 years. [5:38] I think they want to destroy America. [5:39] I think they want to destroy Israel. [5:40] I agree with all of those points, but I'm not- the short-term pain thing, you just can't [5:46] leap over that. [5:47] Well, I think that defined that for me as we go forward, because- [5:51] Short-term pain. [5:52] We're paying more for everything. [5:53] I'm not going to sit here and deny that gas is not going to go up and groceries are unaffordable. [5:57] I'm not going to be ignorant. [5:58] But I also feel like if we don't do it now, I'm 24, it's going to bite me in the ass down [6:03] the road at some point. [6:04] I don't trust in Iran. [6:06] I don't like that they're sponsoring terrorism. [6:08] It's death to Israel, but it's death to America right after that. [6:10] But respectfully, when you were 16, we had a deal in place. [6:14] That's my point. [6:15] But I hear you're 24 now, when you were 16, we had a deal in place, and that deal is something [6:21] that actually prevented them more so then from having a nuclear weapon than where we [6:25] are today. [6:26] And what I will add to is that it took 20 months to negotiate the JCPOA, and then we [6:33] also look at the Iraq-Iran war that lasted eight years. [6:37] I think the Iranian regime feels like they actually have the upper hand because it's in Trump's [6:41] best interest to wrap this up because he knows that the American people are not on board with [6:45] this war. [6:46] They're not on board with the short-term pain, if that's what you're saying, because [6:50] I feel like there is no end in sight right now. [6:52] It's wishful thinking for him to think that he's going to be able to wrap this up. [6:56] And that's on his timeline. [6:57] But for the Iranians, I think that they actually know that they have Trump backed into a corner [7:02] right now because the American- [7:03] Oh, I totally disagree. [7:04] I think they have one part. [7:05] Let me just say one more. [7:06] I also think it's wishful thinking to think that there's not going to be a regime there [7:13] that is going to be anti-Western and be screaming death to America. [7:17] But at least have them be afraid of America. [7:19] Well, they're not afraid. [7:20] They're not. [7:21] Oh, I promise you. [7:22] They are fundamentalists. [7:23] They don't like where they are at right now. [7:24] Listen, you know, what people don't understand is that these fundamentalists over there who have [7:29] not been deposed, who have not changed. [7:32] It's like with gray hairs. [7:33] You're 24. [7:34] You don't have any. [7:35] You pluck one out. [7:36] Three more come out. [7:37] Just a little bit. [7:38] I agree. [7:39] You can kill the person. [7:40] You can't kill the ideology. [7:41] Look, there have been no regime change. [7:43] To Sarah's point, getting a long-term deal, a permanent deal with Iran on their nuclear [7:48] capabilities, on their ballistic missiles, on their funding of terror proxies is probably [7:54] not going to happen in six days. [7:56] No. [7:57] I mean, is that realistic? [7:58] I think it's going to be, initially, there can be signals of what is on the table and [8:03] what remains to be negotiated. [8:05] And on the Iranian side of the house, committing to having free and open trade through the Strait [8:09] of Hormuz. [8:10] Now, on the U.S. side of the house, we still have sanctions that we're enforcing against [8:13] the Iranians. [8:14] So that's a point of contention. [8:15] So in other words, not a grand bargain. [8:17] Not the deal. [8:18] You're not going to get a grand bargain in a week. [8:20] I'm telling you, this is what J.D. Vance says, that Trump wants a grand bargain. [8:26] I don't think that they're being transparent with the American people about when that could [8:30] feasibly happen, if it can happen at all. [8:33] I mean, it's just like, if we're going to do this, why can't you calculate just what happens [8:39] in the Strait of Hormuz? [8:40] Why can't you calculate or understand what insurance companies are going to do in response [8:44] to that? [8:45] Like, we have been caught off guard every single step of the way. [8:49] You're shaking your head no. [8:50] I'm shaking my head no. [8:51] Why? [8:52] Tell me. [8:53] Explain to me. [8:54] Because if there's any industry that Donald Trump would not have a very comprehensive [8:59] and competent understanding of within his administration. [9:01] I mean, what was the whole, you know, oh, Donald Trump is a sucker for the oil industry. [9:06] Oh, my God. [9:07] He's got so many oil executives in there. [9:08] But oil... [9:09] I guess I should know... [9:10] But first of all, the Strait of Hormuz... [9:11] I should know, Peter, that Trump did say that he didn't expect them to raise the Strait [9:16] of Hormuz. [9:17] Correct. [9:18] Not only that... [9:19] Because it was cutting off their nose despite their... [9:20] I'm just saying, I'm just telling you what he said. [9:23] He did say that. [9:24] Exactly. [9:25] But the Strait of Hormuz... [9:26] Which did not happen. [9:27] It delivers 25% of the world's oil. [9:28] And right now, oil prices in the country, in the United States of America, are up 50%. [9:32] Like, we're not actually out here saying that Donald Trump is some magical genius. [9:37] What we're saying is that he failed. [9:39] Like, they failed. [9:40] I want to go back to what we were speaking about earlier because I wanted to ask you, [9:42] well, what's your alternative? [9:43] And both of you seem that a deal is tangible. [9:45] And I really want to ask you... [9:46] Oh, I got my alternative. [9:47] Do you think there's good faith negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Europe? [9:51] Absolutely not. [9:52] I have a deal. [9:53] I know what we're going to do. [9:54] The JCPOA. [9:55] The JCPOA. [9:56] We did it already. [9:57] Can we go to commercial? [9:58] No. [9:59] Like, they were further away. [10:00] It didn't stop them from killing on American soldiers throughout the region. [10:02] It didn't stop them from building ballistic missiles. [10:04] First of all... [10:05] Yeah, I feel like that's a symptom of a bigger problem. [10:06] Our European NATO ally. [10:07] We have no problem. [10:08] First of all, we have no allies left. [10:10] Did you see the Italian Prime Minister today? [10:12] We have NATO treaty allies left right now. [10:13] Did you see the Italian Prime Minister basically taking that you're from a BS? [10:16] I would love to think about NATO. [10:17] Prime Minister Maloney, I love her. [10:18] Wait, one second. [10:19] And not only that, but you actually asked our allies to help you in the Strait of Hormuz. [10:23] And you know what they told you? [10:24] Ask them to look out for their own self-interest. [10:26] Exactly, because they would rather be comfortable for 10 more years than actually bet on their [10:29] future. [10:30] Nobody wants to be comfortable with Iran. [10:31] What people want is competency and consistency. [10:33] They have suicidal empathy. [10:34] I will add, too, to your question that you posed to me. [10:36] Suicidal empathy. [10:37] I would like to see him negotiate a better deal than the JCPOA. [10:40] I'm not saying that that deal was perfect. [10:41] By no means was it perfect. [10:42] Correct. [10:43] But there are other things that we could gain in negotiations with them. [10:46] I just worry about his ability to negotiate and get a better deal. [10:50] So we don't have changes to an interview, but I can't leave now, I can't do it when they [10:51] do yet. [10:52] But again, still makes it easy now and probably just a bad one that's clean and stab it because [10:53] we're pleased if we don't have any discussion of water. [10:54] So that is what is happening. [10:55] Let's go run here. [10:56] We're very simple. [10:57] Let's grow this for sure. [10:58] You can't agree with the Tourism Playland. [10:59] You know, I will be able to ever do well and try to condemn us or we can find a better [11:00] deal.