Iran Resists U.S. Assumptions About Negotiations

Jonah Goldberg argues in his biweekly G-File newsletter that Iran’s ruling clerics pursue ideological aims—including regime survival, regional hegemony, and nuclear capability—and are willing to accept widespread destruction to achieve them. He warns against 'mirror imaging' U.S. motives onto Iran and criticizes Donald Trump's belief that killing leaders or striking deals will reliably produce negotiators, noting Iran's layered true believers and recent measures like lowering wartime-support ages to 12.