Jon Lee Anderson

It doesn't have to happen all at once is another thing he's said.

So in other words, he's sort of softening things.

But he's also saying,

Look, they have to change.

They don't have anywhere to go.

And so we're here to help.

That's his sort of approach.

Rubio is basically saying through his meetings that we believe are happening or were happening, the last week seems to be an impasse, that, look, you guys need to fix things because it's not working for you.

Yeah, we're withholding your oil, but we can provide you with oil.

But you've got to give us something.

So give us an economic opening initially.

And the problem appears to be this kind of Trumpian overlay of, and we want regime change.

And of course they fear it after what happened in Venezuela and Iran.

It's not lost on them that in both cases the U.S.

was supposedly having negotiations and then suddenly attacked militarily.

So they don't trust the Americans.

They don't trust this administration, to call it something.

And

Rubio, I think, is a bit out on a limb.

They know what he wants.