Obama-Era CIA Director Tells MS NOW He’ll Take Iran’s Word Over Trump’s

Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan said Monday that he believes Iran more than he believes President Donald Trump.

Trump said Monday that his envoys were working on negotiations with a senior Iranian official and that they agreed on many points, though Iran denied that such talks ever took place. Brennan said plainly on MS NOW’s “The Weeknight” that he believes the Iranian regime over the United States.

“Well, I tend to believe Iran more than I do Donald Trump, because he could not acknowledge the truth even when it is, he’s slapped in the face with it repeatedly,” Brennan said. “And it’s clear that, you know, he is flailing right now. He’s trying to figure out how he’s going to get out of this debacle that he has created.”

“So he’s going to make these claims about negotiations that the Iranians now are sending signals that they really want to make a deal and indicates there’s going to make a deal on our terms. I don’t think [there’s] anything close to the truth in that statement,” Brennan told MS NOW’s Symone Sanders Townsend. (RELATED: ‘You’re Not Listening’: Joe Scarborough Snaps At Chuck Schumer Over Iran War Dodge)

WATCH:

Iranian officials accused Trump of trying to ease the energy markets by saying there were negotiations between the two nations, according to Axios. However, an Israeli official said that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been communicating with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, though he denied these claims.

Trump did not name the individual he said the U.S. is negotiating, saying he did not want to get that person killed, Axios reported. He expressed optimism about the current talks.

“We are dealing with a man that I believe is the most respected, not the supreme leader, we have not heard from him,” Trump said.

Trump warned Iran on Saturday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face massive attacks on the nation’s power infrastructure. The blockade of the waterway has caused a surge in global energy prices, as it is the world’s most critical oil chokepoint.

The U.S. Central Command has destroyed 70% to 90% of certain military infrastructure and has significantly reduced Iran’s ability to threaten regional shipping on the waterway.

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