As the United States and Iran attempt to reach a deal to end their war, former Obama administration official Ben Rhodes says President Donald Trump would be “lucky” to secure an agreement comparable to the one struck between the two countries in 2015, which put restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
The U.S. and Israel launched military operations three months ago, with the stated goal of eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat. However, it is unclear whether the deal being negotiated would accomplish that goal.
Rhodes, a national security analyst for MS NOW, said Tuesday on “Morning Joe” that the president’s mishandling of the issue could be traced back to his first term. In 2018, Trump pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Rhodes said he did mainly “because of his hostility to [Barack] Obama.”
“We said back in 2015 that there were two ways to solve the problem with the Iranian nuclear program: One is a war, and one is a diplomatic agreement,” the former deputy national security adviser said.
“A war is the worst way to do it,” he said, “because of all the costs and uncertainties of a war. But also because unless you have a ground invasion of Iran, to literally dismantle its nuclear program on the ground, you’re not actually even going to solve the problem with the war.”
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Rhodes said Trump’s military operation has been an abject failure.
“The regime didn’t collapse — in fact, the regime got more hard-line,” he said, adding that the Iranian military now controls the Strait of Hormuz, a major passageway for the world’s fuel supply.
Trump “needs the appearance of some victory, but he’s not going to get it,” Rhodes said, “because they are the ones that are sitting with more of the leverage.”
He added: “The reality is, he would be lucky to get something approximating the [Obama’s] nuclear deal, in which they ship out their stockpiles and submit to inspections, but he’s not going to get more than that.”
You can watch Rhodes’ full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”