U.S. so-called "negotiators" are incompetent liars.

[pat_k]

Last edited Wed May 6, 2026, 06:24 PM - Edit history (1)

While I would not normally give much credit to statements from the Iranian regime, knowing who they are dealing with, and under whose orders the trumpublican worms are operating, I think we can bet the statements are spot on.

Time, 4/16
https://time.com/article/2026/04/15/diplomats-fear-trump-iran-envoys-kushner-witkoff-nuclear/

They are clueless on the basics

According to UK-based outlet Amwaj, citing unnamed Iranian sources, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi explained the stages of nuclear fuel production and the difference between an enrichment facility and a reactor to Witkoff on several occasions during the negotiation in Muscat.

4/20, Deccan Herald (India, but generally considered reputable)

https://www.deccanherald.com/world/middle-east/endless-hypocritical-rhetoric-iranian-president-pezeshkian-slams-us-lists-negotiation-obstacles-newsalert-3977716

Even as US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran hoping for a peace proposal, his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian has said that threats, blockades and breach of commitments will hinder genuine negotiations. In a post on X Wednesday, he also lashed out without naming the US President for his "hypocritical rhetoric" and contradictory claims and actions.

5/1 @dropsitenews
Iranian officials are seriously questioning the competence of the U.S. negotiating team, with officials describing U.S. narratives as a "pyramid of lies." Iranian officials view Steve Witkoff as a "total ignoramus" on the issues. They've called for the U.S. to send "actual technical experts" rather than what they termed "real estate golf buddies."

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/HjpdPPNZLVI

5/1, Iran International (London-based Persian-language news channel considered reliable by many viewers for bypassing state censorship.)

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605011395

Iran’s foreign minister accused the Pentagon of misrepresenting war costs, saying US spending has reached $100 billion, far above official figures.

“The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, adding that US households face about $500 in monthly costs and warning that indirect expenses are significantly higher.

CBS, 5/6
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-trump-progress-peace-deal-strait-of-hormuz/

After Iran's foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by the country's state-run media as saying the regime was in the process of reviewing the latest U.S. peace proposal, he issued a social media post saying any negotiations should be based on engagement, not "deception, extortion or coercion."

Related:
Said it before. Will say it again: There is NO WAY OUT with the Felon in the WH
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221222535

[Irish_Dem]

1. Trump and his goons don't care about nuclear production one iota.

They are there to negotiate for Trump on a personal level.
Cash, land, oil.

[pat_k]

15. With a key goal here being "I will not allow you to make a deal that humiliates me."

Which is the real kicker. His monumental mistake. Humiliation is the way out.

But, Roy Cohn taught him well. Back down? Hell NO! Double-down!!! (link)

. . .
. . Cohn imparted an M.O. that’s been on searing display throughout Trump’s ascent, his divisive, captivating campaign, and his fraught, unprecedented presidency. Deflect and distract, never give in, never admit fault, lie and attack, lie and attack, publicity no matter what, win no matter what, all underpinned by a deep, prove-me-wrong belief in the power of chaos and fear.
. . .

[Irish_Dem]

18. Trump is easily manipulated with flattery and cash.

[RockRaven]

2. This has been reported on (but not by the MSM of course) from the very beginning.

Early on as this war was kicking off, I recall hearing on "American Prestige" that one of the demands that Witkoff et al were making was the Iran completely shut down a particular reactor which is the sole source of medical isotopes in the country, and then were incredulous and offended by the refusal on those grounds -- and interpreted the refusal as a persistent intent to make weapons. Witkoff was demanding an entire nation of 90M people be deprived of modern nuclear medicine diagnostics and treatments in perpetuity -- which is insane and monstrous -- to avoid being attacked.

Witkoff and company are so ignorant of the subject matter in question that their placement as envoys/negotiators is frankly immoral. It is fucking morally wrong to empower such people thusly.

[pat_k]

3. "their placement as envoys/negotiators is frankly immoral"

Absolutely!!

No trumpublican has ANY place in a legitimate American government. And we need to push our electeds and candidates to commit to purge every last one of them.

See this post for the definition of trumpublican (my definition anyway) as distinct from "MAGA" or "Republican":

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221221890

[maxsolomon]

4. I've seen some of this reported in the NYT

and they ran Op-Eds and Editorials calling Witkoff & Kushner out as incompetents.

That's the "MSM", but you have actually read the articles.

[pat_k]

17. I think the stunning incompetence of the felon and "his people" is creeping into the mind of the public at large.

We may not be seeing the level of public outrage across the political spectrum that you would expect, but I think the general public is "getting it" more and more-- and does not like it.

[republianmushroom]

5. Damn, you noticed, well keep it secret

[pat_k]

6. I probably should have added an "(obviously)"

Or started with a "Needless to say."

[yellow dahlia]

7. These people have no shame in their incompetence.

It took a team of nuclear experts and true diplomats to negotiate the JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Deal), that was torn up by the grifter.

These people are dangerous!

[pat_k]

8. There are people who have NO PLACE in a legitimate American government.

We must draw red lines. We must clearly define the intolerable attributes. And I think we need a label -- a shorthand -- for referring to people who have one or more of the intolerable attributes. I think the label must be narrower than "MAGA" or "Republican."

The label I use is trumpublicans. I define the intolerable attributes that define a trumpublican in this post.

However they do it, our electeds and candidates must effectively demonize and delegitimize and pledge to purge these intolerable people and forces from our government.

[yellow dahlia]

13. We have come to expect the Dunning Kruger effect and worse.

It should not become normalized.

[pat_k]

16. Had to look up to remind myself. This bit speaks volumes: "this phenomenon stems from a lack of metacognition"

A couple bits on the relationship between intelligence (or lack thereof) and metacognition (or lack thereof):

Metacognition, is defined as the ability to monitor, evaluate, and regulate one’s own cognitive processes. Often referred to as "thinking about thinking," this skill enables faster learning, better decision-making, improved emotional regulation, and higher adaptability, effectively acting as a "meta-intelligence" that optimizes cognitive resources.

Lack of intelligence is often functionally linked to an absence of metacognition, creating a cycle where individuals cannot recognize, monitor, or correct their own errors in reasoning. Poor metacognition—the inability to "think about thinking"—manifests as an inability to update beliefs based on evidence, lack of awareness regarding knowledge limits, and the Dunning-Kruger Effect, where low-competence individuals overestimate their abilities

[yellow dahlia]

20. Thanks for the metacognition lesson.

[pat_k]

21. It all kind of relates back to the felon being completely devoid of an "inner life" of any kind.

Nate White, in answer to “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

https://thehobbledehoy.com/tag/nate-white/

Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.

For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.

So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.
I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.

Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.

Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.
...

[yellow dahlia]

23. Well said. He is Frankenstein's monster.

[Nasruddin]

9. Iranians are unfamiliar with Trumpian culture

It's a blizzard of lies, backed up by complete ignorance, in a solid foundation of mental incompetence.

They'll be lucky to overcome this overwhelming power!

[erronis]

14. That may be true, but I don't expect a religious regime to be a fountain of truth or honesty.

USA is rapidly falling into the clutches of pseudo religiosity, also. (The Better to Control You, Dearie).

[pat_k]

24. True on both counts.

As noted, I wouldn't normally give statements from the Iranian regime much credence. But the statements cited align with what we know about the felon's gang.

And in re: "pseudo religiosity." If our electeds and candidates don't get CRYSTAL CLEAR about denouncing, demonizing, and delegitimizing Christian Nationalism, we are in deep shit.

It is pretty f-ing simple. Christian Nationalists are hellbent on passing laws, or otherwise twisting and abusing the apparatus of our courts, our executive agencies, and our executive offices, to impose their personal religious beliefs on people who do not share those beliefs. This not just deeply Un-American, it is an intolerable violation of constitutional moral principles. Where these intolerable attempts have been successful, the affected legislative, executive, or judicial bodies are no longer legitimate parts of the American constitutional system.

In the United States, you can believe whatever religious doctrine floats your boat. You can reject all religious doctrine. You can preach your personal beliefs at people in the public square. Whatever. But passing laws that IMPOSE those personal beliefs as a matter of law? That is intolerable. It is not a matter of "policy difference" or "political debate." There is no debate. Passing laws that impose a matter of religious doctrine on those who do not subscribe to that doctrine crosses a red line. People who advocate such laws, or who seek to twist existing law to achieve such illegitimate ends, must be purged from our courts, purged from our legislatures, and purged from our executive agencies and offices.

The American ideal is respect all faiths, but the failure of individuals to have such respect can, and actually must be, tolerated. People can carry their own religious biases and animosities in their hearts, however abhorrent those bias and animosities may be to others. They can promote their "faith-based" bigoted beliefs all they want. Those who disdain the ideas can make their cases against them, but ultimately, it is not our business. Where the line is crossed, and where it becomes the business of every American who believes in constitutional moral principles, is when there is ANY attempt to use the apparatus of any branch of our government to discriminate based on religious bias or force people to comply with religious doctrine they reject.

And, a little message to all Christian Nationalists: abusing the apparatus of government for these sorts of illegitimate ends doesn't just violate fundamental American values. It violates Christian values. Christianity is deeply grounded in the power of FAITH -- faith that by living and embodying Christian values in your own life you are making the world a better place. The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is CONTROL. The minute your try to CONTROL -- to FORCE compliance with the religious doctrine you subscribe to on others, you prove your lack of faith.

[malaise]

10. Sadly we know this

Competence and truth are never associated with kakistocracies.
Rec

[pat_k]

11. Yes. As noted in another reply, I should have...

... added an " (obviously )" or prefaced with a "Needless to say."

[Amaryllis]

12. Love the real estate golf buddies moniker.

[pat_k]

26. That gave me a chuckle too!

[Renew Deal]

19. To be fair, Trump only hires incompetent self-serving clowns

He said that it makes him feel better about himself. And then you have to consider that there are certain people that don’t want peace with Iran.

[Blue Full Moon]

22. Nuclear Enrichment facility.

Where did the Iranians learn how to run an enrichment plant? Try Piketon Ohio.

[pat_k]

25. In the words of Richard Teresi: Ohh, That's Rich!!!