Trump Sets Unyielding Standard for Iran Diplomacy

Richard Grenell, a U.S. envoy for special missions, stated on Wednesday that President Donald Trump would prefer a diplomatic resolution in addressing Iran.

“President Trump is not attempting to replicate the approach of former President Barack Obama,” Grenell said. “Obama was outmaneuvered by Iranian officials.”

The envoy added that President Trump is “extremely clear-eyed” and has described Iran as “the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terrorism.” However, he emphasized that Trump remains “very serious about diplomacy.” Grenell noted the U.S. president has set a high bar for diplomatic efforts: “We haven’t heard those words — which is the high bar we need to hear — that Iran will give up its nuclear weapons.”

Grenell highlighted that Iran gained access to billions of dollars through agreements made by former Presidents Obama and Joe Biden, calling past deals “terrible.” He warned that statements from Iran’s ruling regime are unreliable: “They’ve lied in the past to [former Secretary of State] John Kerry about the number of centrifuges they have, and they’ve lied about heavy water amounts — which is what you need to create nuclear weapons.”

Recalling a previous incident where Israeli intelligence uncovered evidence of Iranian deception, Grenell stated: “Remember, there were years ago when Israelis found this whole locker of information that really proved that the Iranian regime had been lying and the Obama team just completely got snookered.”

Finally, Grenell affirmed: “President Trump is a man of peace and is trying to find every possible angle for a diplomatic solution. If he decides to end diplomacy, he has worked through every angle to protect America.”