Wendy Sherman, the top US negotiator on Iran's nuclear file under former President Barack Obama, said that the Iran war launched by Donald Trump has caused turmoil in the Middle East that has spread to China and Russia, both of which have benefited from it, adding that the United States 'did not engage' with countries in the region in a way that contributes to stability and peace.

Sherman played a pivotal role in concluding nuclear agreements with North Korea under former President Bill Clinton and with Iran under Obama, but both agreements collapsed at the hands of subsequent Republican administrations.

Sherman spent several years dealing with Iranian officials as a former top US negotiator, saying in an interview with Bloomberg that the Iranian regime is now 'more hardline'.

She expressed her view on the scope of the current agreement, saying that the war and the terms of the agreement 'have become a matter of increasing political debate, among both Democrats and Republicans alike'.

She added: 'What has been reported in the reports is a suspension of the Iranian enrichment program for several years, whether 10, 15, or 20, I don't know. The program will be subject to monitoring and verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and this monitoring and verification will be very rigorous.'

She continued: 'There is greater control by the Revolutionary Guard, meaning that the concessions President Trump believes will come easily will not come. They will resist. They will never give up what they believe is their right to enrich uranium; they may suspend it voluntarily, but they will not give up the right. I don't think they will give up their relationship with their proxies, and they may reduce their level of support, but they will not give up their missile program.'

She affirmed: 'It is important that people understand Iran's culture, history, people, government, and doctrine. It is completely different from American or Western sensibilities. It is a culture of resistance.'

The American diplomat explained that 'the Iranian Revolution in 1979 erupted as a reaction to the overthrow of then-Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953, because we feared that Iran would nationalize the oil industry, and we installed the Shah of Iran, who may have been good for us Westerners, but was disastrous for Iran.'

She added: 'Every time Trump tries to provoke Iran, Iran's dignity and pride come to the fore. True, they are a repressive regime that committed massacres against protesters in the streets, but that is their reality.'

Sherman spoke about Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was deputy foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator in the 2013-2015 talks, saying he is 'a very intelligent and resolute person, and he can get angry. He is part of the revolution. He had a close relationship with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, despite the criticism he is currently facing.'

She said: 'I don't think the current negotiations are based on trust. I don't trust Araghchi, and I don't trust Iran. He doesn't trust me. They don't trust me. In fact, at one point, chants of "Death to Wendy Sherman" were heard in the streets of Tehran. You have to respect that your opponent has interests that may not align with his own. In the end, these are negotiations; they must gain something from them.' She noted that she has not been in contact with Araghchi since Trump's first administration took office.

Trump's Strategy Toward Iran

Regarding the current negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan, Sherman said that 'in this type of negotiation, there must be a real threat of using force, and in this case, perhaps even some of the mechanisms Trump used lacked strategy.'

She added: 'He (Trump) is very tactical and self-interested, as he was when he was a real estate developer. In this case, I don't think this approach will succeed.'

She continued: 'Before this war, the Strait of Hormuz was open, but now, Iran will still believe it controls it. Even if it reopens it, which I strongly hope for, we all know it can close it again.'

Sherman pointed out that although Trump has reduced Iran's military capabilities, he has not weakened its fast boats, drone technology, or nuclear program, explaining that Iran 'will rebuild its missiles, navy, and nuclear program, although that may take time.'

She touched on the Strait of Hormuz, saying that maritime shipping is about insurance, and whether insurance companies feel there are sufficient security measures to allow those ships to pass.

She added: 'Even during the brief period when the strait was, as they say, reopened, insurance companies did not see it as safe enough for ships to pass. That's the bottom line.'

Sherman continued: 'I cannot even imagine what is going on in Trump's mind, but I believe his reckless behavior has increased, and this worries me greatly.'

She noted her belief that Iran will still have some control over the strait, while pointing out that the issue of the highly enriched uranium stockpile is a complex and arduous process, expressing concern about the US administration's ability to handle it.

According to Bloomberg, some estimates indicate that the war killed more than 3,000 Iranians, while a new analysis of damaged areas in Tehran revealed that about 32% of the targeted buildings were military, 25% were industrial buildings, 19% targeted shops, and 2% targeted government entities.

America's Relationship with European Allies

Sherman pointed out that it is not about winning this war, but what it means for America's future, referring to an upcoming visit in May by Trump to China to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping, saying: 'I think he will go in a position of weakness, regardless of the outcomes.'

She added: 'Even if an agreement is reached, it will be just principles and broad outlines. After that, the parties concerned will have to work out the details, which will take weeks, if not months, and perhaps more than a year to resolve. This imbalance will continue for a very long time in the Middle East.'

She continued: 'Some of our best allies, Canada and Britain, have stated that they cannot rely on us and have taken steps toward China.'

Sherman, who published her memoir 'Not for the Faint of Heart' in 2018 between her service in the Obama and Joe Biden administrations, said that 'by October 2013, a year had passed since the secret negotiations between the United States and Iran. No one likes the power imbalance between us, but everyone recognizes it. The European allies were not happy, but they were not shocked. Russia and China, which participated in these negotiations, were not shocked; they were happy with progress.'

She added: 'Yes, the United States has disproportionate power, but we must be humble about it. When we withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, everyone realized then that if we could not reach an agreement, the US military would have to intervene and try to change Iran's calculations.'

Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Iran agreed to IAEA monitoring of its nuclear program, which it insists is for civilian use, and that continued even after Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, but cooperation with inspectors ended last year.