President Obama is like a “battered woman” when it comes to negotiations with Iran, says Dr. Michael Ledeen, a freedom scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Obama keeps returning to Iran because he hopes Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will change. But, of course, he doesn’t. Ledeen made this comparison several times while participating in a panel discussion on Iranian hegemony at FDD Friday.
Ledeen’s comment was meant to suggest Obama continues to negotiate with the Iranians because he hopes for positive results yet winds up disappointed, according to the senior director of communications at FDD.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress on the dangers of concessions in the nuclear negotiations with Iran earlier this week, sparking debate on Obama’s handling of the issue.
Iran is negotiating on the basis of agreeing to constrain its nuclear capabilities in return for the potential easing of sanctions after 10 years. The U.S. is demanding Iran stay at least one year away from the ability to fuel a nuclear weapon. Iran pushes back by saying it plans to use nuclear energy for power and medical purposes, as common a refrain over the years as Netanyahu’s alarmism.
Both sides of Congress and much of the American public remain skeptical of Iran adhering to any agreement. Only 11 percent of Americans view Iran favorably, and 77 percent see Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon as a serious threat, according to a recent Gallup poll.
The timeline for a deal has been extended twice, and now leaders are nearing a third, self-imposed deadline of March 31.
Sec. of State John Kerry met with his Iranian counterpart in Geneva last week, and they’re expected to resume talks on March 15. The U.S. is taking the lead in negotiations, but France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia are participating in the framing of the deal.
Even if an agreement is reached, Kerry has said Iran will still be recognized as a state sponsor of terror.
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