On February 6, while Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was holding proximity talks in Muscat, Oman, with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Amb. Chas W. Freeman, Jr., was giving one of his periodic longform interviews on matters West Asian (and global) to the “Dialogue Works” host, Nima Alkhorshid.
You can see the full 55-minute interview here, or download the transcript of it here.
The key insight that Freeman shared in the interview was this:
I think Donald Trump painted himself into a corner. There’s no obvious way out of this for him. He’s threatened to attack Iran.
If he does, the results will be terrible for him and for the Israelis whom he’s basically serving with his deployment and these threats. So, how does this end? I don’t know.
In the interview, Freeman dissected the U.S.-Iran balance in some detail. The conversation also interview ranged over a broad array of topics, including the degree to which Trump’s showmanship over Venezuela and Iran has been motivated by a desire to distract attention from the Epstein files; the role of European governments in West Asian and world affairs; and the broad geopolitical aspects of the current showdown between Washington and Iran.
The interview had started with short reflections that both Freeman and Alkhorshid shared on the recent death of Graham E. Fuller, a former long-time CIA analyst and “case officer” who concluded that continuing to perform that function ran against his core moral values. Freeman remembered him as a very ethical man”, who “deserves to be remembered… with respect.”
In November 2021, Mr. Fuller was a key resource person in this program that JWE presented on developments in Afghanistan. We join Freeman and Alkhorshid in mourning his passing and remembering the legacy of the latter part of his life with deep respect.