Before I go any further, I would like to say that talking is always better than violence and that all resulting agreements are as viable as the integrity and actions of the persons or governments involved in making them.
Actions and Words are the true measures of any agreements/contract, personal, or otherwise.
Mr. Vance in Switzerland
Vance has been a major disappointment, at least to me, much like every person and every country that willingly stepped into Trump’s lair and was consumed by his toxicity.
I watched Vance tell “porkies” to protect his boss while tossing around clever phrases on a range of subjects.
He is yet another person transformed by the political predators who thrive within Washington’s power structure: integrity compromised, principles abandoned, and a willingness to mislead the public for personal and political gain.
However, Vance’s political ambitions are not the subject of this post.
What is the real purpose of these negotiations? Are they intended to open Iran to development deals benefiting Trump’s family? To hand the keys of the Iranian economy to U.S. predator corporate interests (who are entangled with Israel)?
To me, these talks are paradoxical at best. As an American observing events unfold, the ever-changing objectives, stated motivations, and shifting narratives seem increasingly difficult to reconcile and even harder to keep track of.
It seems that even Vance finds this entire Iran episode difficult to explain, given the constantly shifting objectives and narratives. Remember, this is our U.S. Vice President negotiating a deal that no one can fully articulate without lying; thus a perfect example of the state of disarray under Trump.
There are two phrases that come to mind when anyone negotiates with the U.S.:
Trojan horse
Bait and Switch
Snake Oil Salesmen
{Bait and Switch is a very popular scheme in U.S. politics, finance, banking, private equity, corporate adverts. For examples: new product roll outs that promise the sun, moon and stars to replace the sun, moon and stars we already have. This goes on 24/7 without anyone’s notice. “Frogs in a pot” conditioning.
Currently, billionaire technocrats, and others entities, are seeking congressional approval to control all aspects of our lives via government AI integration (Israel based U.S. tech companies). Their messaging: AI will make all of our jobs and lives better.)
I suspect these negotiations are nothing more than a temporary transactional agreement between Iran and Trump. Money can bridge cultural and language differences, but it cannot create peace, trust, or stability.
This looks less like a peace agreement and more like a business transaction dressed up as diplomacy. Trump has built much of his professional, political life and personal life around transactional relationships, and these talks appear to follow the same familiar pattern.
The real question is not whether an agreement will be reached, but whose interests it will ultimately serve.
It is the small things, that oft times are overlooked.
Culture and language differences are immense between the Middle East and U.S. That alone is why the U.S. should not be in the middle east, nor should we have military bases in the middle east, nor should we continue to be involved with overthrowing the Iranian government.
#1 The phrase “trash talk” may have existed long before Trump, but nobody has elevated it to an art form quite like the King of Trash, the Master of Lies—the Con Don.
#2 Dear Mr. V.P.
The youth of Iran, are equivalent to any contemporary youth in the U.S. in how they modify generational expressions, challenge their government, dress, etc… As for language, I asked AI to help me sort this out a bit.
Ye hafte dāshtim barāshun kori mikhundim.
یه هفته داشتیم براشون کری میخوندیم.
“We’d been trash-talking them for a week.”
or “We spent a week talking smack to them.”
A few nuances:
It implies competitive taunting, boasting, or challenging an opponent—not necessarily insulting them viciously. کری خوندن remains common in Iran in 2026, especially in sports, gaming, soccer rivalries, and social media. Teenagers and people in their 20s would understand it instantly.
#3 Israel has the right to self-defense; Lebanon has the right to sovereignty.
I would appreciate it if reporters would do their jobs by asking the most obvious follow-up questions to this statement for clarity:
follow-up #1 What exactly do you mean by your choice of words Mr. V.P.?
When he doesn’t directly answer, try again, but rephrase the same question:
follow-up #2. Why did you chose to say Israel self-defense; Lebanon sovereignty?
And when he sidesteps the second follow-up question with more rhetoric, and maybe throws out an accusation or two against you, ask the final question.
follow-up #3. What narrative are your promoting when you say Israel self defense and Lebanon sovereignty?
#4 Israel’s right to self-defense? The only state involved with killing unarmed civilians and invading their neighbors is Israel. btw: the greatest human rights violators/genocidists and military belligerents since Hitler and Germany’s war against the Jewish peoples.
Palestine: A conservative estimate based on documented conflict fatalities from 1948 through the early 2020s is roughly 60,000–100,000 Palestinians killed.
Add that to the current genocide being perpetrated by Israel against Palestine as of 2025–2026:
- Gaza health authorities reported more than 67,000+ Palestinians killed directly in Gaza since October 2023; and it continues today. This does not include the murder of journalist and humanitarian medical personnel butchered by the IDF.
- Some peer-reviewed and demographic studies have estimated the true violent death toll in Gaza during the first 16 months of the war exceeded 75,000, with additional indirect deaths from hunger, disease, and collapse of medical care.
Lebanon: Reuters, AP, and other outlets places the Lebanese death toll at just over 4,000 as of June 22, 2026.
#5 The Iran war is an American security objective? When did Iran attack the United states of America? Let me save you the effort of researching the answer to this question: Iran has never launched a military attack on U.S. territory.
#6 Israel attacks on the United States:
- USS Liberty incident (1967)
During the Six-Day War, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attacked the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty in international waters.
- 34 Americans were killed.
- 171 were wounded.
- Israel stated the attack was a tragic case of mistaken identity.
- Many survivors, intelligence officers, and some historians have disputed that explanation.
- Multiple U.S. and Israeli investigations ultimately accepted the mistaken-identity conclusion, but controversy continues decades later.
This remains the deadliest known Israeli attack on U.S. military personnel.
- Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem (1948)
Before the State of Israel was formally established, Jewish militant groups operating in Mandatory Palestine were involved in attacks that affected American diplomatic property and personnel. These incidents are historically separate from actions of the later Israeli state but are sometimes included in discussions of Israeli-American conflict. Historians generally distinguish between pre-state militias and the government of Israel.
- Jonathan Pollard espionage affair (1980s)
Jonathan Pollard was an American intelligence analyst who spied for Israel.
- He passed large quantities of classified U.S. information to Israeli handlers.
- Israel initially denied responsibility, then later acknowledged the operation.
- This was espionage, not a physical attack, but it is often cited as one of the most serious breaches of trust between the allies.
- Incidents involving American citizens
There have been a number of controversial cases in which American citizens were killed by Israeli military actions, including:
- Rachel Corrie (2003)
- Shireen Abu Akleh (2022)
These were not attacks on the United States, but they became major diplomatic controversies because U.S. citizens were involved.
The distinction that historians usually make is:
- Direct Israeli attacks on U.S. military or government targets: the USS Liberty incident is the principal example.
- Israeli espionage against the U.S.: Pollard.
- American citizens killed in Israeli operations: several documented cases.
- Direct Israeli military attacks on the U.S. mainland: none.
What about the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran?
- Many Iranians genuinely feared another U.S.-backed intervention after the Shah was admitted to America.
- The hostage takers saw themselves as defending the revolution and confronting a power they viewed as responsible for decades of interference.
- The U.S. saw the seizure as an illegal attack on diplomats and a violation of international norms.
- The crisis was then prolonged because it became politically advantageous for powerful factions within revolutionary Iran.
Jared Kushner?
Jared Kushner: is he in-training to become Prime Minister of Israel? “The United States of Israel” is being codified by Congress. It is happening in stages, to acclimate the American people. Think about what that means for the rest of the world.
Kushner’s influence is unusual because he exercises significant diplomatic and policy influence despite not holding a conventional Senate-confirmed government office. Reports describe him as participating in or helping shape negotiations involving Gaza, Saudi-Israeli normalization, Ukraine-Russia talks, and U.S.-Iran discussions while remaining outside the normal structure of the State Department.
The key distinction is:
- 2017–2021: Kushner had an official White House title.
- 2025–2026: Much of the reported influence comes from his father-in-law, D.J. Trump. He is Trump’s unofficial envoy, adviser, negotiator, and member of special initiatives , including peace negotiations and property development in foreign countries, while remaining a private citizen.
He simultaneously runs a private investment firm with major funding from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. Kushner also delivered some (many consider one sided) significant policy outcomes, particularly in Middle East diplomacy. He has open access to the president and is involved in multiple levels of foreign-policy formation.
Kushner functions functions as a de facto foreign-policy actor because of his family relationship to President Trump, he has direct access to decision-makers, and it very involved in high-level negotiations on behalf of the United States of America.
Kushner’s visibility and access in 2026 are far greater than the greater majority of people who hold no formal government office. I would say he has more influence than Congress and technocrats.
The Halo Effect
Many highly destructive leaders, criminals, cult leaders, and manipulators are not outwardly unpleasant. In fact, some are exceptionally charming, witty, confident, attentive, and socially skilled.
Traits often associated with successful manipulators include:
- Charisma and confidence.
- Ability to read other people’s emotions.
- Persuasiveness.
- Social intelligence.
- Calmness under pressure.
- Ability to present different faces to different audiences.
For example, numerous historical figures responsible for mass violence were described by acquaintances as polite, cultured, charming, or even kind in ordinary social interactions. Likewise, many serial killers and fraudsters were remembered by neighbors as “such a nice person.”
One reason is that cruelty and murder do not necessarily arise from uncontrollable rage. Some of the most dangerous individuals are strategic. They need followers, allies, victims, or political support. Being personable is often an effective tool.
Another reason is that people tend to infer moral character from social skills. Someone who is friendly, funny, attractive, or confident is often assumed to be honest and ethical, even when there is no evidence for that conclusion. Psychologists call this the “halo effect.”
A person can be warm, engaging, and delightful in conversation while simultaneously being ruthless, dishonest, or even murderous. Human beings are capable of holding those seemingly contradictory qualities at the same time.
