Former ambassador warns Trump any new Iran deal would be violated ‘on day one’

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Ambassador-at-Large Nathan Sales argued Saturday, July 18, that the United States should maintain military and economic pressure on Iran rather than pursue a new negotiated agreement with Tehran, warning that any deal would collapse almost immediately.

Sales, who was the coordinator for counterterrorism and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS within the US Department of State from 2017 to 2021, gave his comments as US Central Command announced it had completed an eighth consecutive night of strikes on Iran amid the ongoing conflict.

Iran's track record cited as the core objection

Sales, who previously served as the State Department's counterter**rism coordinator, argued that Iran has already shown it cannot be trusted to hold up its end of an agreement, pointing to what he described as repeated violations of the recent ceasefire as evidence Tehran treats such arrangements as disposable the moment they become inconvenient.

That track record, he said, is reason enough to avoid a new round of diplomacy that would likely require Washington to offer concessions in exchange for commitments Iran has no intention of keeping.

"The problem with the deal is, one, we're going to have to give something up to get a deal," Sales said on Fox News' ‘Life, Liberty & Levin.’ "Two, any deal that the Iranians signed, they're going to start violating it on day one."

Instead, Sales said President Trump's immediate priority should be keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, using a combination of military pressure, economic sanctions and a coalition of international partners to protect commercial shipping through the vital waterway.

He argued that approach protects near-term US and allied economic interests without requiring the kind of trust-based agreement he believes Iran is likely to break.

Monitoring without negotiating

On the nuclear issue, Sales stated that the US does not need a new agreement to monitor Iran's program.

He believes Washington can keep an eye on Tehran's capabilities on its own. He also thinks the US should be ready to react quickly and strongly if Iran tries to move toward developing a weapon.

This stance aligns him with those in conservative foreign policy groups who advocate for ongoing pressure instead of renewed talks. This comes at a time when the administration is considering its next moves after more than a week of ongoing strikes.

The remarks land amid a broader debate inside Republican and conservative national security circles over whether continued military action or a return to the negotiating table offers the better path forward, particularly after the deaths of American service members in the conflict, including two US troops killed in an Iranian strike on a base in Jordan.

Sales' comments suggest that, at least among some of the administration's allies, appetite for a new agreement remains low even as the human and economic costs of the ongoing campaign continue to mount.

CENTCOM's announcement of an eighth straight night of strikes underscores that the military option remains the administration's primary tool for now, with officials signaling no immediate plans to shift toward renewed negotiations with Tehran.