How the world views of Jared Kushner and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran can help explain the issue at the heart of the negotiations.
The divide between Iran and America is, the Opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman argues, ultimately about the difference between “Kushnerism” (named for the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner) and “Khomeiniism” (named for the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran). In conversation with the Opinion editor Dan Wakin, Friedman explains what he means and discusses what he sees as President Trump’s recent string of failures.
The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Dan Wakin: I’m Dan Wakin, an international editor for New York Times Opinion. When President Trump signed an initial peace agreement with Iran last week, in some ways, it didn’t seem like much of a deal at all. The biggest problem remained unresolved: what to do about Iran’s nuclear program.
