National security editor and investigative reporter David Rohde warned that President Donald Trump is going into a meeting with China's Xi Jinping this week looking "weak."
Speaking to MS NOW's Chris Jansing on Monday, Rohde pointed out that Trump still hasn't reached a long-term agreement with Iran ahead of the "pivotal meeting." While the two countries are in a ceasefire, Rohde said that "the war is a stalemate."
The two sides are still debating an agreement and each has opposed the other's proposals. Trump's only major demand, he says, is that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. Iran's latest proposal requested complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions lifted, assets unfrozen and security of the region, including Lebanon.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Tehran “proposes to have some of its highly enriched uranium diluted and the rest transferred to a third country."
“Iran also said it was willing to suspend enrichment of uranium, but for a shorter period than the 20-year moratorium proposed by the U.S., they said. Iran rejected dismantling its nuclear facilities,” the Journal added.
Trump posted on TruthSocial Sunday that the plan was completely unacceptable.
Iran “has been playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World, for 47 years," Trump wrote. “They will be laughing no longer!”
Jansing asked Rohde if Trump's claim Iran can't have a nuclear weapon is a "plan" or "an objective."
"That is an objective, and the president has not carried out a successful plan to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The war is at a stalemate. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed. Iran has not been totally defeated militarily. He's just ignoring the reality here. And I think as he goes into this pivotal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he looks very weak. We're just, you know, they're talking past each other at this point. I don't see major progress in the negotiations," said Rohde.
Jansing also asked if the U.S. is in a weaker position as a result of the Iran war. Rohde agreed the U.S. is when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has seized control over.
"It was predicted for decades, but much easier than expected," he said. "And it's a tremendous piece of leverage. And the surprise is that the U.S. didn't plan together with allies, Europe has a lot of minesweepers that could help South Korea. And Japan, you know, needs to get the Strait of Hormuz opened as well. But there was a go-it-alone approach by the Trump administration. That was a mistake."
He added that the second mistake was thinking that air strikes alone could get Iran to back down.
"That hasn't worked. And then again, they launched this major operation just last week to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. They did not tell the Saudis or the Kuwaitis or the Emiratis or anyone that they were going to do this. And so the Saudis and the Kuwaitis closed their airspace. So after 36 hours, they called it off. It's just these are basic steps that should have been taken. And bluntly speaking, blunders," he closed.
