CNN Expert Savages Trump Deal as ‘Spectacular Own Goal’ for U.S.

A CNN expert savaged President Donald Trump’s proposed Iran deal as a “spectacular own-goal for the United States” after a draft of the agreement was leaked.

The news and political media erupted overnight over the leaked Iran Memorandum of Understanding that features a 14-point plan that includes the creation of a $300 billion reconstruction fund.

On Wednesday’s edition of CNN News Central, anchor Sara Sidner hosted CNN National Security Analysts Beth Sanner and Peter Bergen to discuss the deal.

Bergen trashed the deal as a lifeline to Iran and a blunder for the US:

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, Peter, as you know this region so well, it doesn’t take U.S. intelligence agencies to tell us that Iran now has demonstrated it can shut down the Strait of Hormuz kind of whenever it wants to. Did this war, just in the immediate term at least, give Iran a new power?

BERGEN: Well, short answer, yes. I mean, this was a spectacular own goal by the Trump administration. Not only can they close down the Strait of Hormuz, but they could theoretically also get their Houthi proxies to close down the Red Sea approaches to the Suez Canal if they really wanted to up the ante.

You know, I agree with everything Beth said. I think this is an agreement that is pretty favorable to Iran, particularly these waivers on the existing oil sales and also waivers on their banking system that allows them to really pick up their economy, which is in freefall. The last time I checked, inflation in Iran was at 67 percent. So, they have some real economic problems that this will help them with.

The other big thing, you know, in this agreement is that the war will stop, including in Lebanon. Very clearly says that’s the first point of the agreement, which I have in front of me. There’s a reason that CNN reported that Israel didn’t get a look at this agreement when it requested, because, of course, Israel would not be happy with this. And Prime Minister Netanyahu faces a dilemma, which is he has an election coming up. The people on the right in his parliamentary coalition want him to continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon. At the same time, he wants to placate Trump, who’s been very clear that he wants this war in Lebanon to stop. And Trump is quite popular in Israel.

So, this poses a bit of a dilemma for Netanyahu. And he’s going to be presented with a fait accompli, which is that the United States has said that the war should end in Lebanon.

Watch above via CNN News Central.

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