[The Long Game Brief] Did President Trump Create His Own World in Iran?

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Source: https://mideastsoccer.medium.com/iran-weakened-militarily-but-strengthened-politically-22c75b0aad93

In my mind, the go-to guy on the U.S.-Israel-Iran War is James M. Dorsey.

I’ve been following him ever since I joined Medium in 2022. I originally discovered his own publication about Middle East and North African football on Medium. I have been paying very close attention to his comments and analyses during the ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruptions this year.

This particular CNBC interview with Dorsey is in many ways a follow up to U.S. President Trump’s exclusive CNBC interview which **aired on Thursday, July 2**.

Here’s what Dorsey said to begin **his interview with CNBC**:

“I think we’re used to President Trump creating his own world. Underlying what he said in the CNBC interview…is the notion that Iran is militarily defeated and it’s on its knees and willing to compromise and do whatever takes to end the war. I think if we look at the facts on the ground, that’s not quite correct.”

On the points about U.S. agriculture exports to Iran, this really got my attention because Iran’s market hasn’t previously been known as one that trades in agriculture with the U.S. In fact, this is very foretelling about U.S. agriculture, because the U.S. has struggled to get market access with China in recent years. China has already heavily **switched over to both Brazil and Argentina for soybeans**, for example.

Here’s what Dorsey said about the Iranian funds being used for U.S. agriculture imports:

“I don’t see how Iran could agree to a release of some funds of Iran that then the use of which is dictated by the United States, and then can only be used for purchases in the United States; that in Iran’s perception would be a violation of its sovereignty.”

I totally agree with Dorsey. The U.S. agriculture exports to Iran would be more expensive than all of the other imports options, notably Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Australia.

There seems to be this misperception of the Trump Administration that the U.S. is holds a stick to other countries when it comes to U.S. agriculture exports. China has already given a big middle finger to the U.S. government and agribusiness sector in this regard. To think that the Iranian government will simply use the funds to purchase expensive agricultural commodities, all in a favor to a country that it was just at war with, is utterly preposterous.

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