Fareed Zakaria

deeply erode your credibility, your moral reputation, you know, the core of your values.

I think those things are real and throwing them away for momentary gain in some poker-like negotiation isn't worth the price.

This is the key point.

If this is a workable basis for negotiation.

why the hell didn't we negotiate on this basis two months ago, three months ago, five months ago?

Why did we need the war?

The Iranians would have been comfortable with seven of those demands, by which I mean there are three that are more demanding than they would have had.

Three months ago, they would have never said that they have the right to control the Strait of Hormuz.

So they have added on additional demands.

If anything, you would have gotten a skinny version of these demands three months ago, so we could have easily negotiated with no war.

The Strait of Hormuz.

I totally agree.

I think that is one of the most telling comments that Trump has made.

And to give you a sense of how divergent it is.

The United States' first military action in 1798, something called a quasi-war with France, was over freedom of navigation.

The war with the Barbary pirates was about freedom of navigation.

The U.S.

has literally for its entire existence stood for the freedom of navigation.

And since it became the global hegemon,

after 1945.