Nuclear deal deadline looms

Charles Krauthammer on nuclear negotiations with Iran

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," March 30, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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O'REILLY: "Impact Segment" tonight, tomorrow is the deadline for the framework of an agreement with Iran on its nuclear weapons program. No matter what happens the negotiations have been so long, so controversial that any deal will be rejected by many.

Here once again from Washington Charles Krauthammer. Before we get to that I just want to point out some irony in our last segment. So you trade the five Taliban commanders to get one guy back military guy and put him in jail the rest of his life?

KRAUTHAMMER: That's right.

O'REILLY: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: You know, it's a little circuitous (ph).

KRAUTHAMMER: No.

O'REILLY: Yes. Put him in jail the rest of his life? Why don't we just leave him over there? Be in jail over there?

KRAUTHAMMER: Yes. But the point of justice --

O'REILLY: I know.

KRAUTHAMMER: Is not that you are aiming for a certain end. Justice acts on principle. The principle is if you desert, you're punished. The principle is if you go into battle on behalf of your country we get you back no matter what.

O'REILLY: Ok. And my principle is you don't give up assets that are going to kill other Americans. So that's my principle.

Now, we got to get to Iran. Ok.

So, do you agree with me that no matter what the deal is a lot of Americans say we don't like it because it's just too long and too chaotic?

KRAUTHAMMER: It's more than chaotic. It's a surrender at every level. The latest news, the most shocking news is another bait and switch. We were assured that the Iranians would ship all their enriched uranium out of the country so they wouldn't have access to it. They would have to re- enrich the stuff they had which would take them time, which would give us and the West the opportunity to do something about it if they were cheating or a breakout.

Now, we are learning -- we heard from the deputy foreign minister of Iran that it is a principle of theirs that they will not ship out any enriched uranium. Are we going to cave on this? We've already caved on about four other supposedly nonnegotiable principles. This is a total collapse on our side and this administration is so desperate that the Iranians have the audacity on the day before to do a final bait and switch on highly-enriched uranium.

O'REILLY: Yes. They agreed to it, I guess verbally, and now they say they weren't.

Trump was on "FOX & FRIENDS" this morning and he said look because he is the deal maker, you know that. When you are at the table that long, nobody -- you can't. You can't. You have got to make the deal or you don't make the deal. They are playing you. And Iran is playing us, right?

KRAUTHAMMER: But it's not because of the length of the negotiation. It's because if Iran really had no intention of making a bomb, it wouldn't have to go through all of these details, all of these circuitous things. It would (inaudible) it up. It would get the sanctions relief. It will get billions of dollars in business it would sell its oil. It would get a recovery of its economy. It would do it.

The reason the negotiations are long is because we know the Iranians are going to cheat. We know the Iranians are going to hide. And we are trying to find ways to ensure that if that happens we will catch them and do something. That's the only reason negotiations are long.

O'REILLY: I think it's all over. I think it's just been muddled and no matter what happens it's going to be a debacle.

Charles Krauthammer, everybody. We will have that poll tomorrow.

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