MOU gives Iran far more money than 2015 deal
Rep. Jim Himes argues the Iran memorandum of understanding gives orders of magnitude more money to Iran than the Obama 2015 JCPOA deal.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
What Comes After the Iran War? — with Rep. Jim Himes
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Jul 2, 2026
Where this was said
The Iran MOU: Catastrophic Deal or Least Bad Option?
At 9:15 · chapter starts 8:36
The conversation opens at full speed as Galloway asks Himes to characterize the state of play after the U.S. and Iran exchanged direct strikes despite having signed a ceasefire MOU. Himes is unsparing: the MOU is a catastrophe by any standard, delivering orders of magnitude more money to Iran than the much-criticized Obama JCPOA, recognizing the regime's legitimacy, and contradicting Trump's own rhetoric promising Iranians that liberation was coming. [1] — Jim Himes "The Iran MOU gives orders of magnitude more money to Iran than the 2015 Obama deal, empowers the regime, and recognizes its legitimacy. But…" 08:55 Yet Himes concedes there is one thing the MOU has going for it — it ended active hostilities that were crushing the global economy and adding $1.50 to every gallon of American gasoline. He also points out that Trump's weekly threats to obliterate Iran are an obvious bluff, and that the Iranians — shaped by 4,000 years of Persian history — know it. The U.S. finds itself in the worst of all positions: too damaged to win militarily and too weak to win diplomatically.
The Iran MOU Is a Catastrophe — But Better Than War
The Iran MOU gives orders of magnitude more money to Iran than the 2015 Obama deal, empowers the regime, and recognizes its legitimacy. But Himes concedes: going back to war was crushing the global economy and spiking U.S. gas prices by $1.50 a gallon, so a bad deal beats another war.
$1.50/gallon gasoline price increase
The Iran conflict caused Americans to pay $1.50 a gallon more for gasoline before the MOU ceasefire.
U.S. Leverage in Iran Negotiations: Essentially Zero
The Iranian regime now knows it can survive America's worst military strikes. It also knows it can paralyze the global economy just by flying drones over the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Trump's threats to obliterate Iran are a bluff the Iranians can read clearly. The U.S. is left negotiating with almost no leverage.
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