Trump’s Choices in Iran Are “Humiliation or Escalation”

Columbia University professor Elizabeth Saunders says any deal with Iran that Trump reaches now will fall short of the U.S.’s initial goals for the war.

You can watch this episode of Right Now With Perry Bacon here or by following this show on YouTube or Substack.

Elizabeth Saunders, a political scientist at Columbia University who studies U.S foreign policy, says that President Trump’s only choices to resolve the war in Iran are “humiliation or escalation.” Escalation is the kind of total destruction of Iran that the president has hinted at if negotiations fail. Humiliation is cutting a deal that provides sanctions relief to Iran and/or allows it to continue its nuclear weapons program in some form while also leaving in place a regime hostile to the United States. Saunders, in the latest edition of Right Now, says Iran is in a strong negotiating position because of how its control of the Strait of Hormuz has caused a surge in oil prices. And she says that the leaders now in control in Iran are even more radical than the ones they replaced after the U.S. and Israel killed them.

Right Now With Perry Bacon is a twice-weekly show about national politics with a focus on the radicalism of the Trump administration and tactics to combat it. The program, hosted by New Republic staff writer Perry Bacon on Substack, features in-depth discussions with experts and politicians. It goes beyond the daily headlines to explain why things are happening and put them in a broader context.

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