Asked whether he is concerned about US President Donald Trump’s statements that he would rather negotiate a deal with Iran on its nuclear program than attack its nuclear facilities, Dr. Diker replied, “There's a lot of lack of clarity about what's happening with Iran. We know there have been a couple of rounds of talks. We know that President Trump has said he's not blocking or preventing a potential Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear installations, could be the regime…On the other hand, we know that President Donald Trump is first and foremost an economic warrior and he uses economic and political leverage in order to get adversaries and allies alike to do deals.”
He continued, “Trump has written ‘The Art of the Deal’ and he's in the middle of the biggest potential art of the deal opposite the Islamic Republic of Iran. Big question, will the art of the deal work with a regime that's no different than the Nazi regime, that's ISIS and Al-Qaeda with a state? It remains to be seen and Israel is waiting in the wings, giving the President the prerogative to attempt economic diplomacy, but very much sitting on pins and needles. ”On Saudi Arabia, Dr. Diker said, “Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, and President Trump, in our view, share a vision for a Middle East that is about to enter the 2030 Saudi vision, which is a Middle East that's driven by technology, a lot of it Israeli technology. The vision of MBS, a Middle East that is no longer dependent on its oil and gas power, but on brain power. This is what began in the first Trump administration.” (Read More)
