The Trump administration should drop the idea of making a deal with the mullahs.
Have you ever seen an all-star team with one dud player? Everyone on the team is tops except for this one guy, who could easily be replaced by one of the vendors selling beer in the stands. Maybe his last name is the same as that on the stadium, or the coach was fond of his father. Steve Witkoff is that guy for the new Trump administration. President Trump has assembled a solid team of secretaries working around the clock to advance the president’s agenda. Then there is Witkoff. His relationship with Qatar compromises him. He said that any agreement with Iran would allow for continued enrichment; then, he spun around and wrote the opposite. His assistant for hostage issues noted that the Hamas guys he met were regular guys, the kind you’d have over for Halal chicken wings. Witkoff has the hostage portfolio, as well as the file for Iran and the Russia-Ukraine peace. May God have mercy on the United States.
In the day when I signed many nondisclosure (NDA) agreements, one lawyer said something wise: if the other side is honest, you really don’t need an NDA; if they are a bunch of thieves, an NDA won’t help very much. The Iranian regime must be weakened to the point that the Iranian people can overthrow it. Whatever agreement they sign, they will not uphold, and no program will be able to detect their production of enriched uranium and weapons. The Nazis famously built planes and ships and trained troops outside of Germany to skirt the strict terms of the Versailles Treaty. The Iranians are no better than their signatures, and their signatures are worthless.
Yasir Arafat told his close advisers that he would not uphold anything in the Oslo Accords that he signed. So while Israel and the US expected Arafat to end terror and get incitement out of the schools, Arafat prepared his people for war against the Jews. The Oslo Accords were signed on the White House lawn in 1993, and the second intifada began in the Fall of 2000. Over a thousand Israelis were murdered, with over 10,000 injured. Arafat and others have said that Islam allows deception of the infidel if it advances Muslim interests. The Iranians will behave no differently.
If one looks at the Iranian regime, it has done enormous damage during the past 40 years, without any nuclear weapons available for use. It is the #1 supporter of terror, and the three H’s—Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis—could attack Israel and kill Jews only with Iranian funding, weapons, and training. Even if the nuclear deal worked, Iran is a problem for the stability of the Middle East and the world. Yes, the three H’s are highly weakened and may even be on their way out. But there are many other groups throughout the world that Iran funds to commit acts of terror or destabilize Western countries (like the pro-Hamas protests throughout the West). Hezbollah was almost out of business after the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Iranian billions, weapons, and advisers made Hezbollah a very formidable force when the 2023 war started.
Destruction of the nuclear sites would have little impact on Iranian society but would be a mortal blow to the regime. Israel’s last attack in Iran had IAF planes flying for hours in Iranian airspace. Destroying key locations would put an end to billions spent on nuclear dreams. Israel should also attack Kharg Island and end Iranian oil production. The price of oil should not be affected as Iranian oil only goes to the worst actors like China and Russia. The government must be weakened to the point that opposition forces can act to remove the Thugocracy.
Steve Witkoff is part of the Trump team but is coming into Iranian negotiations with the wrong approach and thinking. He wants to make a deal; Donald Trump made it clear that the Iranians only have two flavors of ice cream from which to choose: completely end their nuclear follies like Qaddafi or have their nuclear facilities destroyed in a very violent manner. The Iranians are dragging out negotiations to get a deal that leaves their nuclear ambitions intact. They should be given an ultimatum and pictures of war-fighting planes currently in the Israel and American arsenals. They want to sign a deal which they can ignore in order to get the few bombs they need to make an attack on Israel a possibility. Would a Witkoff deal address Iranian ballistic missile development?
Steve Witkoff is the wrong man for the hour. When one hears the moral clarity coming out of Marco Rubio’s mouth, he wonders how a Qatari fanboy could be running a critical part of America’s foreign policy. I am sure that he is a great businessman, but we need a solid diplomat/bully at this juncture, and Witkoff is not the guy. I am sure that he’s a great guy and would be wonderful to have over for kosher chicken wings. He should not be involved in the negotiations with Iran.
If a deal is struck, it will be a disaster for Israel. Israel will be prevented from attacking Iran while the latter will find ways to get around the agreement and whatever monitoring program is set up around it. The mullahs will still be in power, holding back their people, and funding terror around the globe. The Iranians need to be given two choices: give it all up with US destruction of all relevant facilities or a full-scale attack with destruction throughout the country. 48 hours. That’s it. We don’t need a real estate investor; we need a Patton.
Donald Trump has been exquisite in pushing forward his agenda. Steve Witkoff is the one blemish in the Trump team and his actions may lead to a disaster: Iran will secretly develop nuclear weapons with the Russians or North Koreans while Israel will be told to stand down from any future attack against the Islamist regime. Give Witkoff his gold Rolex and retire him. It’s time for a gunslinger talking to the Iranians: give up your nuclear dreams or watch your billions in nuclear facilities blown to smithereens.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member