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<\/div>\nMuch of the world\u2019s media tuned into meetings being held in Pakistan bringing negotiating teams from the US and Iran together to discuss options for a\u00a0two-week ceasefire<\/a>\u00a0and settling the six-week old conflict.\u00a0<\/span>Not surprising, however, the \u2018negotiations\u2019 ended the way many Trump Administration negotiations end \u2013 with an inflexible American position dominated by Israel as an illegal, unprovoked and unconstitutional expression of American foreign policy.\u00a0<\/span>The meeting would be mediated by Pakistan\u00a0Prime Minister\u00a0Shehbaz<\/a>\u00a0Sharif<\/strong> with China in the background.<\/em><\/p>\n Leading the high level Iranian delegation<\/a>\u00a0were\u00a0Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baghe Ghalibafi<\/strong>\u00a0including\u00a0Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi<\/strong>\u00a0as well as\u00a0Abdolnaser Hemmati,<\/strong>\u00a0Governor of the Central Bank which were accompanied by an impressive technical team and support staff of scientists prepared to \u2018negotiate\u2019 and bring an end to Trump\u2019s illegal conflict.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n By contrast, on the other side of the table, the US delegation was led by\u00a0Vice President JD Vance<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0along with\u00a0Presidential \u201cenvoys\u201d<\/a>\u00a0real estate billionaire\u00a0Steve Witkoff<\/strong>\u00a0and Trump son in law, another real estate billionaire\u00a0Jared Kushner<\/strong>\u00a0who have no diplomatic experience, no knowledge of how to conduct a professional high level political discussion and no familiarity on the NPT (Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty<\/a>) or the\u00a0IAEA<\/a>\u00a0(International Atomic Energy Association).\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n What was not taken into account is that the Witkoff-Kushner team had a history with the Iranians from two previous negotiations \u2013 both of which failed and ended with the Iranians feeling deceived and treated with disrespect.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vance\u2019s selection to lead the US provided a much needed source of credibility since the Iranians preferred Vance rather than a rematch with the flawed Witkoff\/Kushner team.\u00a0<\/span>Vance however was not provided with any decision-making authority, unable to be his \u2018own man\u2019<\/i>\u00a0or use his best judgment with frequent phone calls with the President over the course of the 20-hour meeting while attending an all\u2013important UFC match.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Iranian Foreign Minister Aragchi summed it up with<\/p>\n \u201cIran enters negotiations amid a complete lack of trust due to Washington\u2019s failure to honor its commitments and its betrayal of diplomacy\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n and<\/p>\n \u201cWe refuse to give up the right to enrichment.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran signed the NPT in 1968 and has always allowed inspections by the IAEA\u00a0<\/span>while Israel has never signed the NPT and has never allowed IAEA inspectors at their Dimona nuclear plant. Article\u00a04\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0(NPT)\u00a0emphasizes\u00a0the\u00a0right\u00a0of\u00a0all\u00a0parties to develop and\u00a0use\u00a0nuclear\u00a0energy\u00a0for\u00a0\u2018peaceful\u00a0purposes\u2019 making Trump\u2019s denial of nuclear material for Iran irrational and unreasonable.<\/p>\n Steve Witkoff is a long-time personal business friend of Trump from their NYC days as real estate developers while Jared Kushner\u2019s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, has raised billions from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE with reports that Kushner is seeking $5 billion in new financing, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest while he manages \u201cfreelance diplomacy\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>Both are unregistered agents for Israel as long time advocates of Zionism\u2019s political philosophy.<\/p>\n One unresolved issue was the inclusion of Lebanon in the ceasefire as Israel\u2019s ferocious attack on civilians in Lebanon displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians on a par with the devastation of Gaza; yet Hezbollah \u2018terrorists\u2019 may have never been accused of conducting genocide or mass murder on children and their families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n What was not expected at the meeting\u00a0<\/span>was the level of physical threat to the Iranians for failing to roll over on behalf of Israel\u2019s ultimate objective of achieving its Greater Israel project through domination of the Middle East.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In an unhinged\u00a0op ed<\/a>\u00a0written by Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post entitled \u201cIran Thinks it has Leverage; Here\u2019s how Trump can Prove Them Wrong,\u201d<\/i>\u00a0Thiessen\u2019s piece proposed a series of speculative military\/foreign policy options to an uninformed Trump.\u00a0<\/span>The op ed, however, makes no mention that many of Thiessen\u2019s options are considered war crimes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The article contained no information that the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) allows possession of nuclear material for \u2018peaceful purposes\u2019\u00a0<\/i>and that Iran\u00a0signed the NPT<\/a>\u00a0in1968.\u00a0<\/span>Israel has never signed the NPT, has never admitted its possession of nuclear warheads and has consistently refused inspections at its Dimona plant since 1960.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Some elements of Thiessen\u2019s proposal included:<\/p>\n \u201cFourth, carry out a final barrage of leadership strikes, eliminating the Iranian officials who had been spared for the purpose of negotiations. Iran\u2019s leaders must be made to understand that their lives literally depend on reaching a negotiated settlement to Trump\u2019s liking. If they refuse to do so, they will be killed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFifth, declare an end to major combat operations and issue declaratory policy informing Iran\u2019s remaining leaders that they will not be permitted to rebuild their nuclear, ballistic missile or drone capabilities, funnel money or weapons to terrorist proxies, or fire on protesters. Anyone engaged in those actions will also be killed.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesman\u00a0Esmail Baghaei<\/strong>\u00a0condemned the op ed which calls for the assassination of Iranian negotiators if talks fail, expressing outrage that such rhetoric is being openly advanced in US political and media circles. He said the language amounts to incitement to violence and state terrorism, and questioned how Washington can accuse Iran of bad faith while such threats are publicly normalized \u2013 which is a great question that remains unanswered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the aftermath of tense negotiations that became somewhat alarming, the\u00a0<\/span>meeting disintegrated into failure as the Iranians announced they would not take a flight home to Iran for their own safety but would rather seek alternative way to travel.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Ultimately the Iranian team was escorted by nine Pakistan Air Force fighter jets on their return flight home to Iran.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Likewise,\u00a0Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC)<\/strong>\u00a0has stated<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Iranian leader won\u2019t accept the deal we offered, he will be dead.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, the day before the meeting, the President suggested another unsettling quote that<\/p>\n \u201cthe Iranians don\u2019t seem to realize they have no cards; other than a short term extortion of the world by using International waterways, the only reason they are alive today is to negotiate.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The next morning, President Trump responded that<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cThe game will end soon. The America army is about to do something big very soon. Are you ready?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n reminds us of Trump\u2019s insane threat to destroy the entire Iranian civilization. What is \u2018something big very soon\u2019\u00a0<\/i>referring to?<\/p>\n In conclusion, the Trump administration is not favorably disposed by\u00a0Pope Leo\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0critique<\/a>\u00a0of the administration\u2019s militaristic proclivities citing\u00a0\u201ca diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force<\/i>,\u201d and that \u201cwar is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>while\u00a0Secretary of War Pete Hegseth<\/strong>\u00a0would not allow\u00a0Catholics to attend<\/a>\u00a0a recent prayer service at the Pentagon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Click the share button below\u00a0to email\/forward this article. Follow us on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to our\u00a0Telegram Channel<\/a>.\u00a0Feel free to repost Global Research articles with proper attribution.<\/p>\n Renee Parsons<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b>has been an elected public official in Colorado, an environmental lobbyist with Friends of the Earth and a staff member in the US House of Representative in Washington, DC. Before its demise, she was also a member of the ACLU\u2019s Florida State Board of Directors and President of the ACLU Treasure Coast Chapter.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Featured image\u00a0source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Israels-nuclear-reactor-at-Dimona-1-300x200.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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