Iran Talks Hit Impasse, State Department Tells Americans To Leave

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President Trump may have thought that Iran would be slightly more conciliatory in nuclear talks. He may think that he needs to exhaust every diplomatic option before making another move. But these talks were doomed to fail from the beginning.

Senator John Fetterman, not surprisingly, said it best on X as these talks kicked off.

And he was correct. The discussions over nuclear development in Iran, attended by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Oman, hit a brick wall when Iran metaphorically flipped the delegation the middle finger. Even though their nuclear facilities were bombed back into the stone age last June, the Iranian delegation had zero intention of playing nice.

Special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s six-hour indirect talks with Iranian officials in Oman ended in frustration Friday, with Iranian officials refusing to budge on major nuclear issues — or address President Trump’s concerns about Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpile or the regime’s brutality against protesters.

Iranian state-run media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Witkoff, Kushner and Adm. Brad Cooper of US Central Command that Tehran would not end its uranium enrichment — or even move it offshore.

“Our talks are focused solely on the nuclear issue, and we are not engaging with the Americans on any other subject,” Araghchi told Press TV.

The Iranian diplomat further demanded that Trump move the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group of at least nine other warships out of the region so the discussions “take place in a calm environment, free from tension and threats.”

Yeah, that does not sound like a dictatorship that has grappled with the reality of its own situation. There are a reported two Iranian diplomats that have sought asylum in Switzerland. The regime has slaughtered thousands in the streets, with a probable minimum of 6,800 people dead. Iran still is in an economic crisis, now additionally fueled by the lack of internet access that the regime plans to keep in place until March. The mullahs of Iran are either heavily insulated from reality, or highly delusional about their own situation. The red lines have been vaulted over, and President Trump should have acted a while ago. This diplomatic exercise, which has now broken down, may give the Trump administration cover to do what needs to be done, or it may be buying time to get all the pieces into place to execute whatever plan is decided on by the president. Either way it seems the State Department is admitting that the talks stand little chance of success by again telling any Americans still in Iran (honestly, who on earth would be left at this point?) to get the heck out immediately.

The notice issued late Thursday by the virtual US Embassy to Iran warned would-be refugees to have a departure plan “that does not rely on US government help” — and to “keep a low profile, and stay aware of your surroundings” if unable to leave the country.

The US has advised its citizens to leave Iran since the Shiite regime brutally crushed widespread demonstrations early last month, killing thousands of protesters who had taken to the streets as the nation’s economy spiraled.

What is the point of telling any remaining American citizens to leave? The Trump administration does not want another hostage situation.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mignon Houston told The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM that the warning is about preventing Americans from becoming leverage.

“The State Department makes regular warnings and travel advisories on a regular basis, depending on assessments on the ground,” Houston explained. “For U.S. citizens traveling, the safety and security of U.S. citizens is our number one priority. This situation in Iran at this point is very delicate, and we want to make sure that American citizens know that our priority is their safety. The president has sent a massive armada into this region to ensure that we are ready and able to act quickly in the event something happened.”

President Trump had apparently braced himself for a negative outcome, as he stated yesterday that the ayatollah “should be very worried” at the moment, and warned Iran to not even think about rebuilding their nuclear program.

Well, guess what? Iran is more than thinking about it, and they also apparently think that today’s talks were a “good start.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the meetings were a “very good start” and that Tehran’s “views and concerns were conveyed in a very good atmosphere.”

“Overall, it was a good start, but the continuation depends on consultations in the capitals,” Araghchi said, noting that discussions only touched on Iran’s nuclear program and that dialogue could continue only in the absence of threats from the U.S.

Albusaidi described the talks as “very serious” and that it was “useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress.”

“We aim to reconvene in due course, with the results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington,” he wrote Friday morning on social platform X.

That is a lot of diplomatic double-speak, aimed at keeping the Americans at the negotiating table while Iran seemingly refuses to change anything. And if that is the case, it is time for the Trump administration to act, because we have lived with the consequences of not acting for over 40 years, as Kurt Schlichter reminds us.

But what if we do nothing? The mullahs will be emboldened. They will double down. Donald Trump said he would act. He’d better act; if he does, he becomes a legend. If he doesn’t, he becomes another Jimmy Carter. Now, I’m confident that he will. I am confident he’s not going to be out-negotiated by these sociopaths and end up with a deal that would make the Obama bros wince. I expect his negotiations are designed to demonstrate that he tried to resolve this peacefully and, well, the mullahs chose a different path. But the end state, whether the mullahs have agreed to it or have had it thrust upon them, must be the end of this wicked regime and its hideous false ideology. Time for the bells to toll for the ayatollahs.

If now is not the time to act, then when will be the time to act? How long will the diplomatic dog-and-pony show play out for the cameras? President Trump keeps telling Iran to quit their nuclear ambitions, but at what point will he lose patience with their dilly-dallying and whining? How many deaths in the streets of Iran are too many? The red lines were crossed. We’re all waiting to see if there will be consequences.

Featured image: Historic Iran flag via iStock, cropped and modified

The post Iran Talks Hit Impasse, State Department Tells Americans To Leave appeared first on Victory Girls Blog.



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