Iran, which is refusing to enter into direct negotiations with the United States on its nuclear program, is "knee deep into working with Russia to kill Ukrainians as well as Israelis," former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said on Newsmax Sunday.
"This is a lot of empty talk from a regime that is tottering," said Wilkie on Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda," adding that "probably over half of the drones" used in attacks on Ukraine this weekend were Iranian.
The Iranian regime was "broken" during President Donald Trump's administration, but once former President Joe Biden entered the picture, matters changed, said Wilkie.
"Their treasury had $5 billion left," with Trump, said Wilkie. "They couldn't get their oil out, and they were back on their heels until Joe Biden gave them a lifeline."
But, he said that if the Iranians continue to "toy with" Trump, matters will change.
"You will see more of the degradation of the Houthis," said Wilkie. "You'll see more weapons going into Israel to finish off Hamas and Hezbollah, which cuts off Iran's avenues for mischief, and then there will be the focus on Tehran itself."
Meanwhile, Trump has said he is angry at Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks suggesting the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and by his stalling in negotiations.
"This is typical Russian intransigence," said Wilkie. "They're maximalists when it comes to an approach to any negotiation. They're the professional bullies and they have been for centuries."
He added that it is "comical" for Putin to talk about elections in Ukraine when "he kills any opposition leader who happens to raise his head in Russia, and then he tends to get 99% of the vote."
Trump is starting to call Putin's bluff as a result, Wilkie said.
"We can destroy the Russian economy. We cut them off from world banking, and we can cut off their oil," he continued, noting that the United States can flood the world with American energy, driving down the cost of oil to $40 a barrel.
"Putin cannot maintain his economy on $40 a barrel oil," said Wilkie. "Under Joe Biden, it was $100 a barrel, and [Putin] was reaping the whirlwind. He was living the life of luxury. So that's the other tool in the American quiver that President Trump has."
Slowing the sales of Russian oil would also harm the Chinese, particularly if Trump puts a 25% tariff on any country that buys from the Russians, he added.
"China has no energy," said Wilkie. "It has to get its energy from abroad. It can't survive on its own, and given the state of the Chinese economy, 25% tariffs on the oil that they buy would not be very welcome in Beijing."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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