(Washington Times) Clifford D. May - Will the U.S. capitulate at the negotiating table in Vienna to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that funds and instructs Hizbullah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthi movement in Yemen whose catchy slogan is "Allah is Greater, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam"? In Vienna, the U.S. is working hand-in-glove with Mikhail Ulyanov, Vladimir Putin's envoy. Iran's negotiators - as a matter of revolutionary Islamic principle - have refused to sit at the same table with Americans and the U.S. has meekly accepted this humiliation. According to sources, Ulyanov is not just a go-between but "the dominant player," proposing compromises to the Americans (who are always flexible) and to the Iranians (who never are). When the talks began, President Biden vowed to produce a "longer and stronger" deal. It's now clear that a shorter and weaker variant - more economic relief in exchange for fewer verifiable restrictions - has been taking shape. Ulyanov has said, "Realistically speaking, Iran got more than frankly I expected, others expected. This is a matter of fact." The "Iranian clerics are fighting for Iranian nuclear - national interests like lions. They fight for every comma, every word, and as a rule, quite successfully." The writer is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2022-03-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive