A top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee suggested Iran would be a more reliable source than the White House on peace talks, saying President Donald Trump "does not tell the truth."
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., made those remarks on MSNOW on Monday, just a couple of days before Trump's two-week ceasefire agreement was set to expire. On Tuesday, Trump extended the ceasefire, basing his decision on the Iranian government being "seriously fractured."
Smith, who has been outspoken about the Trump administration's handling of the Iran war, told MSNOW's Ana Cabrera that Trump "just lies" and that he hasn't been honest about where negotiations are with Iran. Smith pointed to Trump saying over the weekend that Iran had "agreed on everything," referring to Trump's four-point objectives.
But hours later, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry released a statement that it will not be giving up its enriched uranium, one of Trump's requirements for the war to end.
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"It's very clear the negotiations are not where he has said they are," Smith told MSNOW. "So we need a reboot on this. How do we get to a diplomatic conversation with Iran? Based on available evidence, I would think it quite likely that Iran will not show up and negotiate, because what they've said about where negotiations are at has turned out to be a lot closer to the truth than anything coming out of the White House."
Cabrera then asked Smith if he believed Iran over the White House.
"Well, I wouldn't put it that way," Smith said. "I would put it exactly the way I just put it, which is, given the history, given what Trump has said about where the negotiations are at, and given what's actually played out, if Iran says they're not showing up, it's not a matter of believing them on some fundamental policy issue, Iran says they're not going to show up. It seems likely they're not going to show up."
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He said that right now Iranian officials and U.S. officials are operating on opposite sides of the spectrum. The U.S. is calling on Iran to end its nuclear program, state-sponsored terrorism and its ballistic missile program, and to open the Strait of Hormuz; meanwhile, Iran wants $270 billion in compensation for damage caused by the war.
"So the negotiations, regardless of who you think you believe or don't believe, they are very, very far apart, and step one is trying to at least get it closer to where an actual, substantive conversation could take place," Smith said.
But the Republican National Committee, which flagged Smith's remarks on its X account RNC Research, said Smith doesn't know what's being said between the Iranians and the White House.
"Smith admits he doesn't know what's going on with negotiations but is still running his mouth to appease the pro-terrorism wing of the Democrat party," RNC Spokesman Nick Poche said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Thankfully, President Trump has never cared what low-IQ loser Democrats like Smith have to say as he advances American interests domestically and abroad."
Fox News Digital reached out to Smith and the White House for further comment.
source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrat-adam-smith-says-iran-closer-truth-than-white-house-ceasefire-talks
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