Former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder Talks Peace Negotiation & President Trump
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Bloomberg Audio Studios.
I want to add the voice of Ivo Dalder. I was delighted to hear that the former ambassador to NATO was joining us today. This brings us back to the Obama administration, now senior fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center. Mr. Ambassador, welcome back to Bloomberg TV and radio. I'm deeply curious to hear your thoughts today as the president drops this additional 10 days on the ultimatum. Do you think this is an opportunity to let talks breathe or to actually prompt them to begin?
Yes, and yes, also on putting more escalation options into the hopper. The problem here seems to be that the president is kind of losing the thread about what it is that we're trying to achieve here. Why did we go to war in the first place? All the focus is now on opening up the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, the Strait of Hormuz was open on February 28th when the bombing started. It was a consequence of the bombing. It was a foreseeable consequence of the bombing. But somehow the president and his advisors didn't do the planning and didn't take into account the need to ensure that the Strait was going to be open. So we're in a new ballgame. And we're trying to figure out a way – the president is trying to figure out a way to get out of it.
And it is through some negotiated solution because other than occupying Iran and taking over the government and having a government that is – more conducive to American persuasion, it's got to be a deal.
What are Ivo Daalder's thoughts on the recent US ultimatum regarding Iran?
Some deal has to be struck in which Iran agrees to no longer threaten shipping through the Strait. And right now, the tables seem to be turned to some extent where Iran holds, to use the president's favorite phrase, the cards. Iran is the one that is keeping the Strait closed. It is opening it up for those who are willing to pay it. sufficient amount of money or its friends, but it's keeping the straight clothes to those it doesn't like. And the president is running out of options to figure out how to do this militarily, threatening, in my view, in order to see if we can get a deal that at least achieves some of the objectives that were set when we started the bombing campaign back four weeks ago now.
Yeah, but this isn't a surprise though, right? Ambassador, isn't this in every model that the Pentagon has ever had about a potential conflict with Iran?
Does the extension of the ultimatum provide space for diplomatic talks?
The first thing they would do is close the strait. Everyone on the energy market knew this, right?
Yeah, it's not a surprise, but apparently it was a surprise for the president of the United States who decided to engage in a second bombing campaign. Remember, he already did so in June of 2025 when he said he obliterated the nuclear program. He did so without paying attention. He was warned about this. I think it's reporting in The New York Times by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Kaine. who said that this is a possibility. He said, oh, I'm not worried about that. Our military, your military, we're so good, we can take care of it. What we see here is a president, and this happens to other presidents. It happened to George W. Bush after Afghanistan. It's happened before. they become enamored with the military tool.
Our military is extraordinary. It's the best military in the world.
What criticisms does Daalder have about the current US approach to the conflict?
It can do things that no other military can do. But it can't do everything through military force. And we know that from Afghanistan. We know that from Vietnam. We know it from Iraq. But somehow, because Venezuela, the bombing campaign against Iran in June went so well, the president assumed that we could just change the regime with a bit of bombing and things would be fine. Well, it turned out that As as military strategists like to say, the enemy has a vote.
How does Daalder view the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz?
And in this case, the vote was to close the Strait of Hormuz and they didn't prepare for it.
The enemy has a vote in Iran is not Venezuela. Ambassador, I want to ask you about NATO, its potential involvement or lack thereof. This is something the president's certainly been talking about a lot as recently as yesterday in the cabinet meeting. Listen to what Donald Trump said.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–1:37
2
What are Ivo Daalder's thoughts on the recent US ultimatum regarding Iran?
1:37–2:34
3
Does the extension of the ultimatum provide space for diplomatic talks?
2:34–3:27
4
What criticisms does Daalder have about the current US approach to the conflict?
3:27–3:54
5
How does Daalder view the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz?
3:54–7:53
6
What challenges does the US face in negotiating with Iran?
7:53–9:37
Speakers
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