Donald Trump did the right thing in Iran, for a while. He buried their enriched uranium under hundreds of feet of dirt and rock. He destroyed for years their ability to enrich more of the stuff. He made a lot of headway in crimping their ballistic weapons. He showed others in and around the Persian Gulf that the Iranians are bad guys.
But then he stopped. We’d already lost, um, just about no soldiers, but there was a possibility that we might lose some. He stopped because he believed, correctly, that Americans were tired of the war. Or, more precisely, Americans were tired of paying fully half what they pay in Europe for gasoline to power their monster pickups.
In the meantime, Trump showed the Iranians that they can hold the world hostage at any time by simply threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz.
And so, this artist has sketched us a deal. Details are finally emerging after being hid for days, apparently because they thought we’d forget about it. (Iran who?)
Turns out, this inartful deal was available many months ago, many “we’ve already won” proclamations ago, and many billions of dollars ago.
What has changed now is the U.S. midterm elections. They are fast-approaching, and Trump’s party is in danger of losing.
The gist of Trump’s deal is that the Iranians and the U.S. agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran gets buco bucks by exporting oil. Iran can also charge a toll on non-Iranian vessels after 60 days (in time for the midterms), thereby getting more buco bucks.
There’s even more buco bucks. Trump will unfreeze Iranian assets around the world. Iran will also get about 300 billion to rebuild its military arsenal, er, I mean its civilian infrastructure.
For all those buco bucks, the Iranians will talk about discontinuing their nuclear program.
Trump has now announced for anyone who still reads his social media posts that he’s the “greatest President” in American history. Greater than Washington who earned us freedom, greater than Jefferson who negotiated the Louisiana Purchase for less than $0.03 an acre, and greater than Lincoln who saved the Union at the cost of his life.
Uh huh.
Here’s what’s going to happen. The Iranians will embarrass Trump by refusing to give him squat in the continued negotiations. The WH will put the best face it can on such refusal, but the Iranians will not cooperate. Instead, they will close the Strait again, will attack Israel again, will assault shipping again, will demand ransom from ships again, and will demand more buco bucks.
What Trump fails to understand is that the Iranians are principled thieves. Sure, those principles are bad ones – they are right out of the 12th century. They don’t give a whit about commerce or prosperity. They don’t care about their people. They care only about their 47-year-old theocratic revolution.
Trump never encountered such principled people. Many of these people will die. The remainder will have Trump for lunch.
The Art of the Deal? Trump is about to learn that not everyone was born in Queens seeking a piece of the American pie. Midterms or not, you’re a fool to do a deal with madmen.
the Aspen beat 
While Trump’s claim to be the greatest U.S. President ever is somewhat laughable, imagine how laughable Obama sycophants’ claims that Obama is in the #2 greatest President, only behind Lincoln (of course). Trump has taken on 250 years of corrupt rot, and has literally had the entire rotten bureaucracy, including its infinite funding, attacking him nonstop for 12 years and he has won many of the battles he has fought, battles NOBODY ELSE would ever be willing to fight. Trump may not be the #1 President in U.S. history, but he is definitely Top 10 given the size and the scope of what he was up against, and he has proven himself a legendary juggernaut in the process.
“But whataboutTrump” is now “ButwhataboutObama.”
We’re screwed.
Obama was the “whataboutBush” President for his entire 8 years. Nice try though.
One aspect that is getting little attention is the coalition of Iran’s enemies that is forming.
The word you’re looking for is “beaucoup” in French … If you insist on spelling it phonetically, “bocu” or “bocoo” would work better … The French use too damn many letters to spell their words, anyway …
Mostly agree. After 47 years of “death to America”, thousands killed and a rogue nation controlled by religious zealots, enough fissile material for 6 bombs, we finally have a president who does something.
Then all the Monday morning generals and strategist magically come out of the woodwork, yammering how it’s no good, and endless shoulda woulda coulda.
So, in my opinion, the America about to celebrate 250 years (some of us), mostly no longer deserves to as a free country. All the pansy asses want is cheap gas, full grocery stores and having it without effort.
When faced with an existential threat, it must be countered or your existence ceases. When the majority of the population are spinless parasites, the host eventually dies.
We the people should be pressuring our leaders (Congress), for a formal declaration of WAR, and quit playing whack-a-mole, but western minds and thought don’t seem to understand that a crazy zealot does not listen or hear your view of logic and reason.
wake up people before all of you are sheeple.
Bill Grant
What Trump fails to understand is that his enemies won’t like him any better now and won’t vote for him and his supporters will turn their backs on him in the primaries.
I voted for Trump because I thought he was a guy who thought out of the box, even though his manner of speech is frequently a bit rough. This “deal” makes me think he has lost his mind. The good thing is that it’s clear that JD Vance has demonstrated that he is way out of his depth and will never be President, or at least, I hope not. And the irony of signing this kind of deal at Versailles. Who was the moron who thought that was a good idea?
Do you really think that if we know the IRCG won’t adhere to any agreement, that Trump and his people don’t know? This is foolish thinking and you’re letting out of your mouth (or pen) (or keyboard). Trump knows! He is showing the world how “willing he is to end the war if the IRGC adheres to the MOC. He is also showing the world in real time that they won’t and that they are still dangerous. They won’t and all of us know it. And yes, I agree there are some midterm politics mixed in, but EVERYONE plays it. But after…He is very liable to finish off this leadership in Iran and hand the country back to a Persian people who long for freedom. A good people. I for one hope he does. NOW Pass the Save America act and quit cheating in elections!
Ahhhh, he’s setting us up for defeat so that we can win all the more convincingly! Brilliant!
I wish I shared your optimism.
If Trump doesn’t want boots on the ground (and I agree) then we had better start arming those who are willing to put boots on the ground. The whole regime needs to go. The only boots on the ground I would support would be taking Kharg Island and a small strip surrounding the Strait of Hormuz so that we can guarantee safe passage.
Use the money gathered to fund the afore mentioned boots on the ground in the rest of the country and to pay us back for what we have spent so far. Maybe it’s time for splitting up the whole region and giving the Kurds their own state. Use Iranian oil money to fund it. Since the Kurds also occupy parts of Turkey, use their presence to smack some sense into Erdogan while we are at it.