Marc Thiessen: We Have To Pivot And Have A Different Definition And A Different Paradigm Of How This War Ends
On ‘Special Report,’ Marc Thiessen explained why the Iran conflict has continued:
BRET BAIER: You know, Marc, have you written a piece that includes about the strategy and specifically mentioned the vice president. And we’ll put it up on the screen here. “Here is what has worked — His military chain of command, the Treasury Department. What has failed, the ceasefire and memorandum of understanding negotiated by Vice President J.D. Vance. By elevating a deal as the definition of victory, Vance has given Iran a veto over America’s ability to declare victory. All it has to do is refuse to agree, which it is doing.” MARC THIESSEN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Exactly right. Look, first of all, Iran was waging war against this country for 47 years. Donald Trump is the first of nine presidents who served during that war to actually fight back. And he deserves enormous success, and he has had enormous success. The military campaign has set back Iran’s nuclear program. It’s devastated its military. The Treasury Department has done its job. It’s imposed a crippling sanctions with at operation economic fury. The CIA has done its job, all the rest. What has failed has been the ceasefire and the MOU, because what we found ourselves in is this strategic cul-de-sac where for months now we have this endless cycle of negotiations interrupted by Iranian violations, interrupted by U.S. retaliation and a return to negotiations, and the cycle goes on. And we’ve got to get out of it. The Iranians right now are in control of the narrative because if you define victory as a deal, they get a veto on a deal. They can deny us victory by denying us a deal. So we have to reset the definition of victory as finishing our military campaign, which we brought to the 20-yard line in April, and then stopped. So let’s bring it into the end zone, finish the military strikes, take out what we were going to do. And then pivot to helping the Iranian people overthrow their regime through not boots on the ground but the way we did it in the cold war when we liberated 400 million people. BAIER: But Marc, your piece put the onus on Vice President Vance. He is obviously not empowered to do that negotiation without the president’s blessing. THIESSEN: That is true. The president has been enormously patient. He’s given Vice President Vance an opportunity to deliver, and he has failed. Where is the deal? There is no deal. It’s been how many months? April, the ceasefire was in April. I mean, at some point — and, look, what happened this weekend, apparently, according to reports, the president was ready to launch a major combat operations again. And then all of a sudden he was told the Iranians are on the phone. They are desperate for a deal. So he pauses, and the response is they attack U.S. troops in Jordan. At some point we have to take no for an answer and realize that the Iranians are giving us their answer. It’s five ballistic missiles headed towards Jordan. We have to pivot and have a different definition and a different paradigm of how this war ends.
