Rise Against Dogma

Let me be clear, I don't care where $300 billion comes from. Giving the Iranian regime that chants “death to America” billions and billions of dollars is a bad idea. More on the latest episode of Verdict: Iran Deal—Don’t Give Billions to Lunatics who want to Kill us plus College Sports Bill Gets BIG Bipartisan Vote podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ver…

JD Vance just gave the clearest breakdown of the Trump vs. Obama Iran deal distinction I've heard. Here it is — the Gulf State test: The Gulf Coast Coalition loves this deal. They hated the Obama deal. Why? They thought Obama made Iran stronger. They think Trump makes Iran weaker. Vance: "They know more about this, and they have more to lose than anybody, including the USA. So I trust their judgment." The negotiating position: Obama in 2015: Iran has a sophisticated nuclear program. Let's bribe them with American money to stop it. Trump in 2026: We already destroyed your nuclear program. Promise not to rebuild it, and you get some sanctions relief. One is negotiating from fear. The other is negotiating from rubble. The substance: "The Obama nuclear deal allowed enrichment, ours will not." "The Obama deal allowed the accumulation of stockpiled weapons-grade material, ours is actually leading to the destruction of that stockpile of enriched material." "The Obama deal gave them over a billion dollars of American money. This deal gives them $0 of American money." Bottom line from @JDVance: "We're coming at it from a position of strength, and the fact that our gulf coast partners love this deal."

I just had a very lengthy and productive discussion with @SEPeaceMissions @SteveWitkoff about the state of play regarding Iran.   After this discussion, it is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop.   Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying.   The economic stability that comes from opening up the Strait and the cessation of hostilities could create a pathway to peace well beyond the Iranian conflict.   The expansion of the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is President Trump’s and my ultimate goal. I think that is best achieved by creating economic stability for the United States, the region and the world, as well as the cessation of hostilities.  The signing of the MOU is an essential step to make that happen and thus it is worthwhile.