February 28, 2020
In a first, President Trump has criticized the Iranian regime for refusing to talk to the United States, suggesting the leadership may be “too proud or too foolish” to come to the bargaining table.
Trump has declared himself to be a superior negotiator and is eager to talk to all adversaries, although his major effort with North Korea has gone nowhere. While many critics thinks he wants war with Iran, he has always emphasized his desire to talk and characterized his sanctions as pressure to force Iran into talks.
Trump leveled his demeaning remarks at the regime in his State of the Union message before Congress February 4.
He had next-to-nothing to say about foreign policy in that speech, until a brief digression about Iran. He began with the usual, long-standing rhetoric.
“In recent months, we have seen proud Iranians raise their voices against their oppressive rulers. The Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death, and destruction, and start working for the good of its own people.”
But he then shifted gear, in essence saying Iran’s leadership was weak and inept.
“Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help. We are here. Let’s see which road they choose. It is totally up to them.”
In Tehran, Mahmud Vaezi, chief of staff to President Rohani, responded by saying Trump was “begging” for negotiations because all his hostile actions had turned out fruitless.
Trump did not threaten to invade Iran and topple the Islamic Republic if there were no talks. He has long promised to remove the United States from the Middle East and avoid further military entanglements without promise of an end. While many on the far left in the US believe Trump seeks war with Iran, the vast majority of political analysts say his base of voters is so strongly opposed to war in the Middle East that there is no way he would start a full-fledged war in the Middle East, especially with the presidential election on the calendar in just eight months.
Trump’s biting remarks about Iran’s leadership came after a passage in which he boasted about ordering the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleymani.
In his speech, Trump again claimed Soleimani was “actively planning new attacks” but did not elaborate. His administration has been criticized for not offering evidence of any imminent attacks.
Trump defended the strike by highlighting two of his guests for the State of the Union speech: Kelli Hake and Gage Hake. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake, Kelli’s husband and Gage’s father, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2008.
“The terrorist responsible for killing Sgt. Hake was Qassem Soleymani, who provided the deadly roadside bomb that took Chris’s life,” Trump said. “Soleymani was the Iranian regime’s most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq.”
Trump told the Hakes that “Chris will live in our hearts forever,” adding “he is looking down on you now.” Kelli Hake teared up as Trump recounted the story of her husband’s death, while Gage Hake comforted his mom by patting her on the shoulder.
“Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice,” Trump said. “If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life.”