US-Iran nuclear deal stalemate a ‘mistrust-and-verify situation,’ former CIA chief says

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Dan Hoffman on tensions with Iran: US must establish 'escalation dominance'

Former CIA station chief discusses U.S.-Iranian relations on 'Sunday Morning Futures.'

Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman expressed his concerns regarding ongoing nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran on "Sunday Morning Futures," warning that diplomacy may never be achieved with the current level of dominance under President Biden.

DAN HOFFMAN: I think we do want to put a hold on Iran's nuclear program, and if Iran were willing to agree to a better deal without those sunset clauses with inspections. But that's a very difficult thing to do. And remember that Iran has concealed elements of their nuclear program, some of which Israel uncovered, some of which we learned in 2009 that Iran had an enrichment facility at Fordow, which they never declared. So we're in a mistrust-and-verify kind of situation with Iran. And remember that two of the countries negotiating on our behalf right now for this new deal are China and Russia – two countries that really don't have our best interests at heart.

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I think we're going to continue to see these tit-for-tat attacks again until we establish some sort of a dominant position in this relationship with Iran. And that has to happen concurrently with whatever diplomatic negotiations are taking place. If we're not strong against Iran, there will be no opportunity for diplomacy. 

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