Iran made a massive miscalculation when they walked into negotiations with the Trump administration expecting to get the same weak-kneed treatment they received from Barack Obama. That's according to President Trump's top negotiator Steve Witkoff, who just exposed the Islamic Republic's shocking arrogance in a bombshell interview with Sean Hannity.
Speaking on Fox News Monday night, Witkoff pulled back the curtain on Iran's delusional mindset during recent negotiations. The regime's representatives apparently strutted into talks convinced they were "driving the train" and that Trump's team would simply fold like a cheap suit – just like Obama did when he handed them pallets of cash in the dead of night.
"They thought we had no choice but to go full-metal Obama and give them what they wanted," Witkoff explained, describing the Iranians' attitude as reminiscent of overconfident Wall Street traders in 'The Big Short' – completely convinced of their position right before everything collapsed around them.
"Iran approached the most recent round of negotiations with the attitude that they were driving the train, and the Trump administration had no choice but to go full-metal Obama and give them what they wanted."
But here's the thing the mullahs in Tehran apparently forgot: Donald Trump isn't Barack Obama. This isn't 2015, and America isn't going to grovel before a terrorist regime that chants "Death to America" in their parliament.
Witkoff's description of negotiating with these "lineal descendants of Persian rug merchants" perfectly captures the theatrical arrogance Iran brings to the table. They've spent years getting exactly what they wanted from weak American leadership, so naturally they expected more of the same.
Iran's Obama Hangover
The Iranian regime clearly suffers from what we might call an "Obama hangover" – they got so used to American weakness that they forgot what real leadership looks like. Remember, this is the same regime that Obama showered with billions while they funded terrorism across the Middle East and developed their nuclear program.
Now they're learning the hard way that the Trump administration doesn't negotiate from a position of weakness. When America leads with strength, even the most arrogant adversaries eventually realize they're not "driving the train" after all.
How long before Iran's mullahs figure out they're dealing with a completely different kind of American president?