Posted on 04/12/2025 4:14:45 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Shortly after then-Secretary of State John Kerry concluded talks with his Iranian counterpart that led to the 2015 nuclear agreement, the wizards at Google had already delivered judgment. When I typed in the phrase, “how not to buy a carpet” at Google images, the first result was a photo of the two foreign ministers and their aides, facing each other across the negotiating table in Lausanne.
The ever-smiling Mohammad Javad Zarif told Kerry three times they had a deal, but that he needed to go back to Tehran to run it by the "Supreme Leader." And three times he came back, demanding more.
Donald Trump called the deal the United States finally signed, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), "the worst deal ever" and withdrew the United States from it in 2018. He was right.
The President's Middle East special envoy, Steve Witcoff, recently admitted that he got "duped" by Hamas during negotiations in Qatar with Hamas-appointed Arab mediators.
Having worked in the Middle East as a war correspondent and investigative reporter for forty years, let me say it straight: if the Arabs managed to dupe Mr. Witcoff, the Iranians are going to take him to the cleaners.
So here are a few "do's and dont's" for Witcoff when he travels to Oman this weekend.
Rule #1: Always be prepared to walk out
The Iranians invariably win at negotiations because the other party wants the deal more than they do.
The media echo chamber run out of the Obama White House while Kerry was negotiating in Switzerland drummed into us the notion that it was the deal or war. The Iranians knew very well that wasn't true. Obama was never prepared to go to war with Iran. He wasn't even prepared to maintain sanctions on Iran
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
The Iranians are masters of Taqiyya (the approved islamic practice of lying to unbelievers).
Imagine terrorists who murder the people they were chosen to represent and commit the kinds of atrocities that lead to tribunals and hangings for war crimes turn out to be liars and bargain in bad faith. Anyone here could have fallen for that.
awwwwwww.....third time I fell for that this week!
#2 Demand unconditional surrender, otherwise Iran gets turned into a glass parking lot.
When I watched the podcast sitcoff had with Tucker I said to myself “oh no - This guy is gullible.” Brilliant but gullible. And he admitted it - sucks to be right.
When I heard Witkoff was going to Oman, I wasn’t thrilled. Let’s hope he reads this piece by Timmerman before the meeting.
btw, I think this really should have been posted as an Editorial, not Chat
Bkmk
Bfl. Great post. Thanks.
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