larry johnson on iran. the empire. negotiations? i doubt it. i imagine the empire getting up on their chair and demanding that iran bend the knee. i don't see it happening; 

 

I want to draw your attention to two news items that may complicate, if not derail, President Trump’s hopes of securing a peace agreement with Iran. Pakistan, as Pepe Escobar and I reported last week, continues to play a central role in trying to craft a solution that will be acceptable to Iran and the US. Iranian state media reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for talks with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Naqvi said he was carrying a “special letter” from his country’s army chief and prime minister to Iran’s Khamenei, ISNA reported.

Releasing Iranian frozen assets remains a key demand for Iran. Last Thursday, CNN interviewed Mohsen Rezaei, former IRGC commander and current military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Rezaei told CNN that any US-Iran peace deal depends on Washington releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, warning that the US would “enter into a dark corridor” should it resume fighting. Rezaei described the $24 billion figure as a “test” of US credibility: “If President Donald Trump wants a deal with Iran, this amount is the test. It’s a test the US must pass to open the path to a deal.”

Well, it looks like US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not get the memo about reaching a deal with Iran. Bessent reportedly has directed a team to assess costs for damage already inflicted on Gulf allies by Iran with the goal of using those assets to pay for repairs to the damaged infrastructure of the Gulf arabs. Iran will certainly refuse to accept that condition.

I am sure that some Trump supporters will chalk this up to Trump’s negotiating style, but at a time when talks are reportedly stalled (that was what Mohsen Rezaei told CNN) why stake out a position that will anger Iran?.........more........