Former Donald Trump ally issues blunt warning about Iran’s negotiating tactics, amid ongoing war. Morgan Ortagus explained why she believes Tehran’s diplomatic playbook poses a familiar risk for the administration.
Former Trump ally warns him about Iran ‘buying time’
Former Trump envoy Morgan Ortagus warned Wednesday that Iran may use ongoing nuclear negotiations to “buy time.” She spoke at the Middle East Forum’s 2026 policy conference in Washington. Ortagus urged President Donald Trump not to fall into Tehran’s familiar diplomatic trap, according to Fox News.
“It’s the tactic of the regime to stall, to draw negotiations, to buy time,” Ortagus said. She added, “I would encourage the president not to fall into the trap that the Iranians like to do.” Trump recently paused planned military strikes and extended diplomatic talks with Iran. Gulf allies had pressed for more time to pursue negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Ortagus served as State Department spokeswoman during Trump’s first term. She later worked on Middle East negotiations during his second administration. She argued the current negotiating team holds more leverage than any predecessor.
“I think this negotiating team has more leverage in their negotiations with Iran than any negotiating teams that preceded them,” she said. She also noted, “The president has seriously degraded them in a way that no one has since the Islamic Republic’s founding.”
Meanwhile, Ortagus addressed the Israel-Lebanon front and Hezbollah’s role in destabilizing the region. She described Hezbollah as “a cancer to the state of Lebanon” and an Iranian proxy. She stressed that Hezbollah operates independently of the Lebanese government.
“The Lebanese government didn’t decide. Hezbollah decided for the country of Lebanon,” Ortagus said. Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter echoed her remarks at the same conference. He stated Israel holds “no territorial claims” in Lebanon and blamed Hezbollah for blocking normalization.
“There’s nothing stopping normalization,” Leiter said during his keynote address. “It would all be fine, but Hezbollah is holding Lebanon hostage.”
