Nothing gets through to Iran’s ‘unbelievably duplicitous’ leadership, Trump says
He added that “nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a deal, or total surrender, is accomplished.”
Assessment
The former president frames Iran's leadership as fundamentally untrustworthy, setting a maximalist posture that leaves little room for diplomatic nuance. By coupling 'deal' with 'total surrender,' he signals that any acceptable outcome must be on his terms, not a negotiated middle ground. This rhetoric raises the stakes for any future U.S.-Iran engagement, suggesting that even indirect talks would require a complete reversal of Iran's current stance.