Analysis of Iran's Leadership and Geopolitics

to describe Iran's leadership, you used to call them, you did, you used to call them

religious theocratic lunatics. Do you still believe that language applies to the leadership

today?

Well, it's not that I believe it, it's the fact of the matter. I mean, the Iranian system

is led by clerics, radical clerics. That's what it's always been led by and that's what

it continues to be led by. That said, we also have to manage the geopolitics of the situation.

And then there's an operative, if they've changed their mindset or if they've changed

their approach to their relations with the United States and their neighbors, then we're

going to give this thing a chance to work. Maybe this changed. I'm not saying it has.

I'm saying the president wants to explore whether that's the case. And if it has, we're

going to find out. But we're not going to find out because of what they say. We're going

to find out because of what they do.