'Iron fist' doesnât work with Iran: Former US hostage in Tehran | The Bottom Line | TheBriefWire
'Iron fist' doesnât work with Iran: Former US hostage in Tehran | The Bottom Line
Published 2 August 2026 ¡ world
âWe canât dictate to the Iranians, and the Iranians canât dictate to us,â argues John Limbert, one of the American captives held in the US
âWe canât dictate to the Iranians, and the Iranians canât dictate to us,â argues John Limbert, one of the American captives held in the US embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Limbert, who went on to become US deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran, tells host Steve Clemons that US leaders believe that âall we have to do is drop more bombs and the Iranians will do what we wantâ. And Iranian leaders believe that âall we have to do is keep attacking ships in the Strait [of Hormuz], and the Americans eventually will do what we wantâ.
Published: August 2, 2026 ⢠11:57 PM IST ¡ Updated: August 3, 2026 ⢠12:40 AM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points¡ Video
âWe canât dictate to the Iranians, and the Iranians canât dictate to us,â argues John Limbert, one of the American captives held in the US embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Limbert, who went on to become US deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran, tells host Steve Clemons that US leaders believe that âall we have to do is drop more bombs and the Iranians will do what we wantâ.
And Iranian leaders believe that âall we have to do is keep attacking ships in the Strait [of Hormuz], and the Americans eventually will do what we wantâ.
The BriefWire