Ian Bremmer on Iran: ‘This is a win for Trump’

by Joe Concha - 01/08/20 11:35 AM ET

Foreign policy expert Ian Bremmer on Wednesday said that the exchange of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran has been “a win” for President Trump, and that Tehran is weaker now compared with when Trump took office.

“There’s no mission accomplished moment, God forbid. No one should be taking victory laps here,” Bremmer told CNN. “But this is a win for Trump. And it’s clear that it is.”

Bremmer, who is president of the Eurasia Group, a research and consulting firm, argued that “Iran is weaker today than it was when Trump became president.” He said that was evident in Tehran’s retaliatory strike on Tuesday night.

“Their response has been the minimum possible military engagement against the Americans,” Bremmer said of the ballistic missile strikes against Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces that didn’t result in any American casualties. “That is wildly de-escalatory.”

The Iranian attack was in response to the U.S. killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week.

“The United States has killed the head of Iran’s military in the Cabinet and the response has been, you know, virtually nothing,” Bremmer said.

“There’s a real opportunity for diplomacy if Trump wants it and is capable of taking it,” he added. “But for now, let’s be clear, this is a much more powerful United States showing the Iranians that you are not going to come after the U.S. directly.”

Bremmer took to Twitter to underscore that he’s “far from a Trump supporter” but called it “impossible not to call Iran outcome a win for US president” in a tweet to his more than 455,000 followers.

I’m far from a Trump supporter.

But impossible not to call Iran outcome a win for US president and a big opportunity going forward.

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) January 8, 2020