I have reposted below Larry Johnson’s blog with two interviews he has had. The first video is a discussion with Garland Nixon about the current tense situation Iran courtesy of the machinations of the Trump administration with pressure from Israel.
On the eve of Iran’s meeting in Rome on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, summarized the situation quite succinctly… accept Iran’s offer to not build nuclear weapons or there is no deal. I do not think this is hyperbole or posturing. I believe it is the firm position of Iran. The decision is now in the hands of Donald Trump.
The Friday meeting in Rome marks the fifth time that Iran and the US have met for indirect talks. Oman has the unenviable task of running back-and-forth between the two delegations, who have declined to meet in person and talk directly to each other. Over the course of the last month, Iran has heard conflicting positions from Steve Witkoff, Trump’s lead negotiator. After the first round of talks in April, Witkoff said the US was willing to accept Iran’s peaceful enrichment of uranium, which is 3.6%. But, upon returning to Washington, the Zionist crowd clobbered Witkoff, which led him subsequently to make repeated public remarks that Iran would not be allowed to have any enrichment capability.
Iran, with the backing of Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, is willing to accept a 3.6% limit and to allow unfettered inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities in order to ensure compliance. The fly in the ointment is Israel. Bibi Netanyahu and the Zionist zealots are pulling out all stops to pressure Trump and prevent him from making such a deal. An Iranian agreement to never build a nuke would remove one of Israel’s major excuses for its genocidal activites against the Palestinians and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu and company continue making threats to attack and destroy Iran’s nuclear program, but realize it is an impossible goal without the full support of Washington. Domestic politics in the US is another factor that will constrain, if not prevent, Trump from making a sensible deal with Iran. A large number of the political whores that comprise the Republican and Democrat members of Congress, are insisting that Iran must also destroy its ballistic missile force and end all contacts with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Because Trump needs the votes of people like Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz to pass his Big Beautiful Bill to fund the government and deliver tax cuts, he is unlikely to make any compromise with Iran.
The murder of two Israeli diplomats on Wednesday in DC adds even more emotional rocket fuel to the heat Trump is facing for even entertaining a deal with Iran. I want to be proven wrong, but I don’t think Trump has the courage or the backbone to do the right thing with respect to Iran.
For those of you who live outside the United States, I must emphasize that a majority of Americans hold an irrational, rabid hatred of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas… at least those Americans holding political office. We have reached the point that anyone who tries to argue on behalf of the Palestinians is immediately denounced as an anti-semite. The same emotional derangement that infects many in Israel is prevalent in the US with respect to Iran and the Palestinian people. Facts no longer matter.
While the prospect of a US-supported attack by Israel on Iran looms on the horizon, there is a chance that diplomatic intervention by the Gulf Arabs might dissuade Trump from embracing the suicidal proposal of Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear processing facilities. Trump also is keen on making the Abraham Accords a reality — an impossible goal if the US attacks Iran in tandem with Israel. I agree with Doug MacGregor’s view that an attack on Iran will likely lead to Iran launching military strikes that will shutter the Persian Gulf. Maybe I am grasping at straws, but I am trying to identify some alternatives to a devastating, horrific war that the US will not be able to control or win.
I discussed this issue, as well as the war in Ukraine, with my friend, Garland Nixon. I also am posting the video of a recent chat with a Pakistani lawyer, Waqas Ali.
In the first video interview with Garland Nixon, Larry referenced the following article he wrote and published on his Substack.
Lest anyone think that Vladimir Putin is flying solo and making Russian policy based on his own personal whims… think again! A couple of statements today — the first, from Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President, and the second, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — reinforce my point that the Russian leadership is united in their view of negotiations with Ukraine… and they aren’t leaning towards making concessions.
Mr. Medvedev made the most consequential statement during his speech on May 20, 2025, at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum… Medvedev said:
“Ukraine has one last chance to preserve the remnants of its statehood. If it misses this chance, it will cease to exist as a state. Russia will then have no choice but to advance further and resolve the issue definitively.”
Let’s call this move, Istanbul 3. At the March 2022 negotiations in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine, the Russians agreed in principle to keep the Donbass as part of Ukraine. That was Istanbul 1.0. In June 2024, Putin spoke to senior officials Russian Foreign Ministry and presented Istanbul 2.0, which now included Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporhyzhia and Kherson as Russian territory, certified via a referenda in September 2022 in each of the four oblasts. With today’s statement regarding Ukraine’s political future, Medvedev introduced what appears to be Istanbul 3.0.
Medvedev went on to make three more critical observations:
Warning Against Foreign Troop Deployment:
The appearance of troops of the so-called ‘coalition’ in Ukraine will be viewed by Russia as a relapse of a military threat with all the ensuing consequences, including their recognition as a legitimate military target. At the same time, it is good that the US has recorded its position on this issue. I hope that with the help of states that have not yet lost the remnants of their sanity, the collective West will be able to restrain the impulses of individual brainless, but very militant politicians.”
Global Catastrophe Warning:
“humanity is on the verge of a global catastrophe,” attributing this to ongoing armed conflicts, confrontations among nuclear powers, and the exacerbation of chronic global issues.
Ukraine’s Sovereignty Questioned: Medvedev claimed that Ukraine is a “failed state” and asserted that there are no Ukrainian officials with the authority to conclude a peace treaty with Russia, raising doubts about Ukraine’s sovereignty and leadership legitimacy.
Medvedev was not alone in outlining the future of Ukraine if it rejects Russia’s offer of negotiations. Foreign Minister Lavrov made the following point in a speech today:
Whether by diplomacy or military force, Russia will secure the religious freedom of the Orthodox people of Ukraine.
In other disturbing news, the Middle East Spectator reports that Iran has declined Oman’s invitation to attend the fifth round of nuclear talks with the U.S. in Rome on Friday. The negotiations are at an impasse, with the US demanding Iran end all uranium enrichment and Iran refusing. This news was accompanied by a CNN report:
This may be nothing more than Zionist saber rattling, but I am inclined to believe that this report reflects Netanyahu’s desperate, foolish intent to set West Asia on fire. When it comes to hubris, Netanyahu is a genuine malevolent professional.
I did a relatively short session with Danny Davis today. We focused primarily on Trump’s new boondoggle, but also discussed Marco Rubio’s disgraceful comments on the genocide underway in Gaza.
If you don’t already, I highly recommend following Larry and subscribing to his Substack.
