Newsmax: Rep. Harrigan to Newsmax: Iran Thinks Time Is on Its Side
Contact: Lexi Kranich (814) 380-4408
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Both the United States and Iran believe time is on their side during the current negotiations, Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., told Newsmax on Monday.
On Newsmax's "National Report," Harrigan said the ongoing standoff with Tehran has become a high-stakes geopolitical chess match in which both sides believe they can outlast the other.
"The Iranians think that they have time on their side. And I think we as Americans think we have time on our side," Harrigan said. "That doesn't necessarily mean or portend a swift end to this conflict and this impasse that we find ourselves in."
The North Carolina congressman, a Green Beret combat veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, praised President Donald Trump for resisting political pressure while pursuing what he described as a long-term strategic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions and destabilizing influence in the Middle East.
"I give a lot of credit to President Trump," Harrigan said. "He's actually trying to get the right long-term solution for America's strategic interests and really the strategic interests of all Western nations."
The Trump administration has maintained tough economic pressure on Tehran while pursuing negotiations aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping.
Harrigan warned, however, that Iran's regime has spent decades surviving through deception, propaganda, and strategic patience.
"You Americans, you all own the watches, but we own the time," Harrigan said, recalling Taliban rhetoric during the global war on terror and arguing the Iranian regime operates with a similar mindset.
"This comes down to a game of chess,” he added. “Who's going to blink first? Who can put more pressure on the other?"
Harrigan also cautioned Americans against overreacting to conflicting public statements from Iran and political voices in Washington, arguing that only the Trump administration has access to the full intelligence picture guiding negotiations.
"Anybody outside of that, I think you have to take whatever they're saying with a grain of salt," Harrigan said.
The congressman acknowledged that Iran has recently signaled some willingness to make concessions regarding its nuclear activities, but he stressed the regime must provide concrete proof it is abandoning efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
"They've got to take demonstrable steps," Harrigan said.
He argued that Trump's economic blockade and pressure campaign are forcing Iran into a difficult position financially and politically.
"If they are close to breaking economically, you're going to start to see some of those concessions come through in a very real way," Harrigan said. "Because they have to maintain power. That is their No. 1 priority more than anything else."