Former Trump foreign policy adviser and author Walid Phares told Newsmax on Saturday that Iran faces a choice between coming to the table and risking harsher consequences as Donald Trump moves forward with what Phares called a "two-track strategy" that pairs diplomacy with military pressure.
Phares said the approach leaves Tehran with "some sort of agreement" or "there will be an international court."
In one exchange on "Saturday Report," Walid Phares framed Trump's posture toward Iran as a deliberate mix of outreach and force, after the host asked what to make of Trump's urging Iran to negotiate while also moving a second carrier toward the Middle East.
Phares answered, "It's true. The president has embarked on a two-track strategy, and it's very clear we can see it."
"On the one hand, he [Donald Trump] started with posts, three or four posts," after Americans learned of deaths in Iran, and he said President Trump "encouraged the Iranian people who are demonstrating" to continue.
Phares described them as "courageous people" and said the message was "to continue with these demonstrations and protests."
He said Trump also urged protesters, in his telling, "to basically seize the institutions from the inside," and "identify those who are causing harm and killing and torture."
Phares argued that the push carried a warning to Iran's leadership: "If the Islamic regime in Iran does not come for some sort of agreement, which I find very difficult to be achieved, there will be an international court."
Phares tied that claim to a death toll he cited on air, saying "tens of thousands" had been killed and adding, "I mean, 40,000 people killed and maybe more."
He added, "You cannot describe it as a genocide."
Iran's government has reported 3,117 deaths from the unrest.
A U.S.-based rights group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, estimated the killings at 7,005.
Reuters reported an Iranian official saying that at least 5,000 deaths have occurred, as HRANA reported at least 7,391 people suffered "serious injuries" during the protests.
On the military track, Phares pointed to carrier movements and said Trump is "sending large task forces," adding that "two task forces of this size" signaled significant pressure.
The Military Times reported Friday that the USS Gerald R. Ford is being sent from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln.
"This is twice what was sent to Venezuela, so he has two options.
"He will analyze what's happening in Iran, and I'm sure he is in touch with major, major forces that represent the Iranian people, I am sure of that," he said.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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