By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Talking points is a term that we use when we are sitting down and trying to broker a reasonable outcome. There is some compromise to talking points because you can’t get everything you want.
This strategy is used over a variety of personal and professional engagements. To stay on point, some experts believe you need talking points. They help so that in your discussions you aren’t all over the place.
Back in the day, which was my day, if you had a job interview you had talking points. While the term wasn’t popular yet, we had areas we wanted to cover in the interview. Usually, there were points we wanted to make so that the prospective employer would be impressed with us. It was always wise to know some facts about the organization.
Talking points have been used in the war with Iran. An American delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were at the negotiating table for months trying to bring about a peace settlement.
A 60-day MOU was finally agreed upon after time-consuming talks. One of the talking points on both sides was the Strait of Hormuz. Each side at different points during the talks declared it closed. In the meantime, the gas prices in this country have been skyrocketing. In some regions the price of gas has increased to over five dollars a gallon.
I guess the expression pain at the pump applies here. No matter what word salad the administration uses, consumers are experiencing gas attacks at the pump. The prices were going down, but now with the ceasefire fire ending, the prices are back up again.
According to confirmed reports, “The fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire has collapsed following repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump officially declared the truce over prompting a massive wave of retaliatory U.S. airstrikes.”
The ceasefire didn’t last one month. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that their intelligence found that Iran did break off the agreements. However, a report out of Iran claims the U.S. supports Israel’s operation in Lebanon and that’s the reason.
Despite the different accounts, both countries want to talk again. Trust was always a factor during these highly publicized talks. Reports out of Iran come from different sources. Who do you believe? The new supreme leader is Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and he has never been seen.
It is unrealistic in my view to think that the Iranian leader would be seen in the public square. So, the leadership in Iran is simply not showing their hand. Many believe that Iran is back to making nuclear weapons.
The question on the table is when the talks between the U.S. and Iran will begin? At this juncture, there is only speculation about a starting date. It could be in the next month or so.
A report from the Associated Press said, “The U.S. military was seeking to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial ships freely transiting the strait. The statement came after a third round of strikes late Sunday night and into Monday in Iran.”
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences.” That assertion is shared by many world leaders and political pundits.
Mark Esper, former Defense Secretary in the first Trump administration says he doesn’t believe that the agreement between the two countries is dead because neither side wants to return to an all-out war. The former secretary is correct in my opinion. Destruction, despair and disappointment will reign over both nations, albeit in different ways. Secretary Marco Rubio made some comments about the Strait of Hormuz. He said, “It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway.” Get ready for a new round of talks. Each country will have their talking points. It will be in their rational self-interests to have them.
James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D. is a long-time educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
