A Bad Sign for Iran's Revolution
Witkoff is Negotiating with Iran's Mullahcracy
Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s fixer, has entered the Iran mess and is now talking to Iran’s leaders. This is a very bad sign for the Iranian revolution, because Witkoff’s approach is to fix “problems.” The Iranian revolution is not a problem: it is an unprecedented opportunity. By deflecting any US response to the ongoing crisis, whether intentionally or not, Witkoff could hand the Mullah’s a victory against the people of Iran.
Witkoff, as we know, has been Trump’s diplomatic fixer, starting with Gaza (which is still unsettled and in limbo), and Ukraine. Credit to him for getting the hostages, alive and dead, freed.
Witkoff’s intervention in Ukraine, most recently led to the Paris Accord, which Witkoff wanted to sign, but was told not to do so at the last minute after either President Trump, or Marco Rubio, perhaps both, saw the Accord as undermining Trump’s Alaska agreement with Vladimir Putin. Even with Washington’s pushback, Witkoff warmly endorsed the Paris deal, and pledged US support for it by supplying the most recent Coalition of the Willing (mainly the UK and France) with front-line intelligence support for their planned military deployment on Ukrainian territory.
Witkoff’s Ukraine intervention shocked the Russians. Putin regarded it as confrontational, and as a rejection of each and every Russian objective in Ukraine. It also amounted to an implicit rejection of the US-Russia strategic dialogue, one that included nuclear security agreements and various economic incentives and deals. Witkoff trashed all of that, allegedly frustrated with the Russians when actually it was the Ukrainians and Europeans who refused any serious dialog with Russia, even though some European leaders, Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, and Georgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, openly called for meeting with Russia to try and sort out Ukraine and address other matters impacting European security. It is noteworthy that neither Merz, or Meloni, both attending the Paris meetings, refused to sign the Accord or to agree to send troops to Ukraine.
Witkoff’s turnabout on Ukraine may have reflected Trump’s frustration in not getting a deal, or there may have been other reasons unknown to us. Now he has turned his attention to Iran, most likely at Trump’s urging after the White House got pleading calls from Iran.
It seems Witkoff is engaging with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi, the grandson of an Iranian rug merchant, got his PhD in political thought from Kent University in the UK. He speaks fluent English.
Araghchi is offering some sort of nuclear deal if the US stays out of Iran and stops supporting the revolutionaries. Putting aside the likelihood that, no matter what the deal, Iran will cheat its way around it, the more important point is that a nuclear deal is far from the most important issue for either the US, the people of the Middle East, or for the Iranians revolting against the repressive Mullah-run regime.
Many believe that the root of the turmoil in the Middle East traces directly to Iran. Gaza would never have happened had Iran not planned the attack on Israel, not shipped weapons to Hamas or provided extensive training and military and intelligence support to Hamas.
The same is true in Yemen (Houthis), Lebanon (Hezbollah), Syria (Hezbollah, ISIS), Iraq (Kataib Hezbollah, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib al-Imam Ali, and Badr Organization) and many others. Iran’s goal is the destruction of Israel and forcing the US out of the Middle East and Persian Gulf. It sponsors terrorist operations, supplies weapons (including drones and rockets), military and intelligence training, provides operatives and offers intelligence to America’s adversaries.
There is no sign Witkoff is discussing any of Iran’s trouble-making in the region, or its activities beyond the Middle East, for example in Europe, North America, Africa, South America, and Asia. From what we know, the discussions are limited and follow offers from the Iranian side.
Witkoff’s bargaining could confuse President Trump, causing him, and his administration, to misunderstand what really is at stake in Iran’s revolution.
The US does not have a great track record. The US has deserted friends and allies many times, or made promises that were not kept. Afghanistan is a great example, as are Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The US, at Yalta, sold out Eastern Europe. Trying to set things back on a positive track, Dwight Eisenhower, as a candidate for President and later as President, said the US would support revolutions against the then-Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. Yet when Hungary revolted in 1956, the US did not help and Khrushchev sent in the Russian army to suppress the Hungarian revolution, leading to thousands killed on the streets or executed after the revolt was crushed, and hundreds of thousands fleeing Hungary.
Iran wants a free hand to kill everyone opposing the regime. Thousands have already died, and Iran announced it will start hanging the freedom fighters very soon, if they have not already started.
There is no reason to bargain with the Mullahs or with their thugs.
Protest started for economical reason. What is causing those hardships? The regime? No, illegal sanctions from western countries. They always cause human misery to force regime change.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/01/the-really-dark-side-of-western-sanctions.html
The violent riots are CIA and mossad orchestrated. How do we know? They openly admit it because their ego. Many armed protesters and arson, that's not peaceful.
Iranians deserve better, they are liberal and civilized. But they also see what western democracy brought to Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria (now ISIS). Do you think a free Iran will be free to sell its oil, secure its own safety and be sovereign? No, it must be weak, a vassal that Israel can freely bomb. I forgot to mention Iranians are also educated, they don't fall for your fake freedom.
Would Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthi's exist if it wasn't for Israel breaking international law for over 50 years? Stealing land, their homes, invading others, bombing, senseless killing, torture, the list of cruelty is long.
Saudi Arabia hit a new record for executions. But this is between good oil and bad oil right? Democracy is never a real problem does it? Most executions are drug related, a little excessive if you ask me. Maybe the US should do that too, that would clean up the streets and solve the drug pandemic.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/01/executions-saudi-arabia-highest-number-ever-2025
With the US abandoning international law it lost all authority to lecture others. You might not like this message but the 7 billion people, not the golden billion living in the garden, are moving away from US led cruelty. You know the clock is ticking, that's why the US is desperate acting with violence.
If you truly cared about Iranians you would end the sanctions, win the hearts of the people and create incentives for a more democratic society. A strategy never tried. For once cut the double standards and hypocrisy, you just executed a woman for opposing ICE. Killing, the only thing the US excels in today.
Oh and you care so much about Iranians that you killed 1000 during the 12-day war. It's not only a warcrime to attack civilian scientists but you blow up a whole apartment complex with dozens of innocent civilians, women and children. Please lecture me about ethics and morality.
Oh FFS - the People and the Mullahs are the same side.
A few guns fired by CIA/MI6/Mossad hoods does not make a revolution - although it does mean a lot of people get killed.
riots are over, Big pro government demos are happening and iran carries on.
Sanctions of course remain.
This was not the Arab Spring or UKraine (where Georgians firing at police and civilians lead to an actual regime change). This was HK or Belarus where a weak uprising lead to a little bloodshed that has virtually no impact on HK or Belarus but where enormously exaggerated news stories did impact Taiwan's election a few monhts later (on "China authoritarianism") and Ukraine/Europes preparation for 2022's war (Russian Authoritarianism).
So why did the intelligence agencies burn a nascent regime operation maybe a decade before it was ready this time? My guess is it was to persuade Trump and Maga that Iran was there for the taking.
Of course that is an open question - some say A: US destroyed Iran's ability to defend itself. Others say B: Iran damaged israel so clearly it had to beg Trump to find a peace deal.
Prediction: If A then Israel attacks Iran within 6 months itself.
If B: Israel pretends to stay out of it and gets Trump to attack Iran in the hope Iran doesn't counter attack Israel.
Iran would counter attack - Israel could be toast.
Witkoff and Ukraine/Russia. So Russia trusted US to negotiate terms it could accept?
I don't think so. Russia has been much like US on this - they have politely nodded as terms a million miles from reality were being discussed, but also repeated their minimum terms. It is no secret that there never was going to be a deal - any anger from either side is fake.