00:00Yeah, I mean, an element you could say is trust.
00:03Some of it just seems to be lost in translation, for lack of a better phrase.
00:07I mean, Iran accusing the United States of not being serious about diplomacy.
00:11And we've talked about the blockade already because the Iranians understood that the blockade would be lifted if they reopened
00:16the strait.
00:17And then this rhetoric that we hear from the U.S. president saying he's going to destroy every bridge and
00:22every power plant in Iran.
00:24That's what we've heard him saying during the course of the weekend.
00:26I mean, a lot of people would argue that that is not at all conducive to peace.
00:30What do you think?
00:30Absolutely.
00:31I mean, look, I always say that these are two parties that each have made their own mistakes and that
00:38have their own negative influence in the region.
00:41I mean, not to compare at all.
00:43These are apples and oranges we're talking about here.
00:45But in terms of Iran, you know, Iran has wreaked havoc in the region for many, many years.
00:51I mean, you know, as well as anyone by support for proxies and the instability it fomented during the Assad
00:58regime and the Syrian civil war in Lebanon, certainly through support for the Houthis.
01:03So it's not as if Iran is an extremely well-intentioned actor in general.
01:09But when it comes to these negotiations, Donald Trump has entered into this war and is continuing to operate with
01:18what appears to be just a fundamental lack of understanding of the Iranian regime, of the system and how it
01:26works.
01:26You know, Donald Trump is used to negotiating, whether it's in business or diplomacy, you know, with these really bombastic
01:33statements and threats and social media and maximalist demands, thinking that that puts a lot of pressure on the other
01:41party.
01:42And then he could start to climb down the ladder.
01:46Now, that is the opposite of the approach that is needed with the Iranians.
01:50This is a culture, the regime's governance culture and the frameworks through which they operate.
02:01These, you know, it's built for resilience.
02:04You know, I always like to say that it's like a submarine.
02:06It is meant to withstand great amounts of pressure.
02:10And so that approach hasn't worked at all.
02:13And every time we've come to a moment where there could be an off ramp, Donald Trump will put out
02:20a tweet that aims to humiliate the Iranians, essentially.
02:24And so we're back at square one.
02:25So I think you're really right to point out this issue of understanding of just people to people interactions, because
02:36that seems to be something that's really missing with this Trump administration, especially the second Trump administration, which is quite
02:44different than the first one.
02:45Iran has had decades of dealing with the Americans and a lot of the same people are still around.
02:51But with this new Trump team, there isn't that institutional knowledge or cultural knowledge.
02:58So it's it makes everything a lot harder.
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