It takes a staggering level of diplomatic narcissism to look at a historic, multi-nation ceasefire agreement and say, "But what about me?"
It takes a staggering level of diplomatic narcissism to look at a historic, multi-nation peace accord and say, "But what about me?"
Yet this is exactly what we are seeing from Tehran today. Yesterday morning, I was enjoying a delightful espresso with a former State Department undersecretary when the President tweeted the glorious news: a "great settlement" had been reached. The third day of US airstrikes was officially canceled. A devastating regional conflict was over, all thanks to a brilliant slate of final points that had been "approved by all parties involved."
It was a masterclass in swift, decisive statecraft. But instead of expressing gratitude that American bombs would no longer be falling on their military installations, the Iranian foreign ministry issued a terse statement whining that there had been "no final conclusion."
I am frankly exhausted by this kind of behavior.
If you read the President's statement closely—which I did, three times, before forwarding it to my editor with the subject line "Nobel?"—you will see that the peace deal is absolutely ironclad. The final details were enthusiastically approved by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
That is nine separate sovereign nations. A sweeping supermajority of regional powers who all came together, looked at the terms of Iran's diplomatic concessions, and said, "Yes, this looks fantastic for us." For the Iranian government to now hold up the paperwork simply because they weren't in the room when their own foreign policy was being dictated is not just bad faith. It is bad manners.
What exactly is Tehran objecting to? They claim they have not agreed to the terms. This is a baffling semantic complaint, given that the conclusion was very clearly finalized on the President's social media account at 8:00 AM Eastern. When the leader of the free world posts that discussions have been "in both concept and great detail, approved," the discussion is over. The fact that the Iranian foreign ministry wasn't cc'd on the final draft is a minor clerical oversight, not a justification to prolong a regional conflict.
Think of the logistical nightmare this petty insistence on "being consulted" is causing for the adults in the room.
My dear friends at Axios have already reported that four US Air Force planes are currently en route to Europe. Vice President JD Vance is flying to Geneva, entirely prepared to sign this historic document on Washington's behalf. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to secure tarmac space at Cointrin Airport this close to ski season?
Vice President Vance has reportedly cleared his schedule, packed his preferred signing pens, and prepared a beautiful set of remarks about the historic triumph of American leverage. To force him to sit in a Swiss hotel room refreshing his tablet because the target of our airstrikes selfishly wants to "read the terms" is profoundly disrespectful to the office of the Vice Presidency.
We have negotiated a spectacular, flawlessly structured agreement that every civilized nation in the region has enthusiastically signed off on.
The administration went out of its way to accommodate Iran. The President generously canceled a fully-funded, heavily-scheduled third day of bombings. He didn't have to do that. The bombers were fueled. The targets were mapped. He put the ordnance back in the armory as a gesture of profound goodwill, operating under the entirely reasonable assumption that when America and Saudi Arabia agree on what Iran should do, Iran will simply do it.
I once had lunch with Henry Kissinger—a man who understood that true diplomacy doesn't require the enemy's consent, only their eventual compliance—and he told me something I'll never forget. "The best treaties," he said, "are the ones where the adversary simply wakes up and reads about their concessions in the morning paper."
We are trying to do Tehran a favor. We have handled the tedious, stressful part of the negotiations for them. We did the heavy lifting with Qatar and Bahrain. All the Iranian government needs to do is send a mid-level envoy to Switzerland, smile for the cameras, and accept the great settlement we have so graciously designed for their containment.
Instead, they are ruining JD Vance's weekend. It is time for Iran to grow up, stop obsessing over whether they actually agreed to the peace deal, and let the rest of the world enjoy the signing ceremony.