What if instead of Trump’s real estate buddy and his son-in-law, he had sent — under Marco Rubio, the State Department does have a lot of expertise. Well, I do believe that the Iranians were actually desperate for a deal. I do believe that they were willing to give President Trump way more than they gave President Obama. It was about Iran surrendering to America’s terms. But if Trump wanted a better deal than what Obama got, that was certainly on the books.

Source: New York Times March 17, 2026 12:41 UTC