JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Back now to the war with Iran, President Trump insists a deal that will end the war is imminent. But Iran said this weekend the Strait of Hormuz will not open for shipping until the U.S. corrects its behavior, meaning permanently ending the war, lifting the naval blockade on Iranian ports, withdrawing the military from the area, compensating Iran for damages and lifting sanctions in frozen assets. Those are dramatic demands, so how might the Trump administration respond? Here to help us answer is Wendy Sherman, former U.S. deputy secretary of state with the Biden administration. Thanks for being here.
WENDY SHERMAN: Good to be with you.
SUMMERS: So, Wendy, I have to say, just listing all of those demands out, that seems incredibly steep. What's your read on what Iran's strategy is here?
SHERMAN: I think Iran feels that it is holding all of the cards right now. President Trump has responded to those demands with demands of his own, saying that Iran owes the United States money for all of the harm it's done over so many years. And there's no question that Iran has been responsible for the death of many Americans and for damages around the world. But where we are right now, Juana, is really no war, no peace. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. The United States is not likely to meet these new demands. The president has said he's going to wait for economic harm to finally get Iran to come to the table. I think he's got a long wait.
SUMMERS: Yeah, you mentioned that, I mean, Iran itself is dealing with more severe economic distress, including severe inflation as a result of the U.S. blockade, as well as sanctions. How big of a factor are those domestic elements in further talks as we look ahead here?
SHERMAN: Well, they're certainly a factor, and sanctions and economic pressure sometimes do bring people to a negotiating table. But one thing the Trump administration has never understood is that Iran is a culture of resistance. That's what created the revolution in 1979. It is now run by what I call the hard hard-liners, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. And they are not in any rush. Nor do they particularly care about their own people. What they care about is control of the Strait of Hormuz, which they have. President Trump took us to war, a war of choice. The Strait of Hormuz was open before that war. It is now not only closed, but in the hands of Iran.
SUMMERS: Yeah. I mean, this war has been going on for more than five months now, and we've heard President Trump claim that a deal is imminent several times. Of course, there has not been one. And I know, Wendy, that you have sat across the table from Iranian diplomats in high-stakes bargaining situations like this one. So given that background and that experience, what do you think it is that's going on behind the scenes that is preventing a lasting deal?
SHERMAN: Well, there's no doubt that Pakistan, even Turkey, Oman, are trying to get the parties through back channels to come to some agreement around the Strait of Hormuz, but I don't see it as imminent. In fact, the Iranians' leader, Mojtaba, has just appointed really hard-line leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in other high-ranking positions in the government. So I don't see Iran backing down. They can get enough of their own oil out through nefarious means, and they know they have the whole world hanging on what they're going to do. They are very tough negotiators. Sitting across the table from them is no easy feat. It took us nearly - it took us 18 months to get to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
SUMMERS: Yeah.
SHERMAN: And I don't see anything happening anytime soon, sadly. I wish the president would find his way to get this trade open...
SUMMERS: Yeah.
SHERMAN: ...For the good of Americans' gasoline prices and grocery prices. But I don't see him being willing to do what's necessary to make that happen and to bring this war to an end.
SUMMERS: Wendy, we've got just about a minute left here. I won't (ph) note that you were the lead negotiator on the JCPOA under President Obama. What would it mean for U.S.-Iran relations to end this conflict without nuclear provisions?
SHERMAN: It would be pretty devastating. It's true that the 60% highly enriched uranium is under rubble right now, but you can't bomb away knowledge. Iran knows how it knows what to do and is likely to put whatever economic means they have towards rebuilding their nuclear capability. And I think this hard-line government will probably decide the only deterrent it needs is a nuclear weapon, so it's quite serious.
SUMMERS: Wendy Sherman, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, thanks so much.
SHERMAN: Thank you.
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