Elliott Abrams, special envoy to Iran during President Donald Trump's first administration, told Newsmax on Monday he is not optimistic about the people currently in charge of Iran.
"They're pretty fanatical, and the other problem is none of them is going to want to make a concession. You know, they're all newly in power," Abrams said on "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
"The first thing they don't want to do is make a concession, and then somebody's going to go after you inside that regime. I'm really doubtful that these negotiations are going to come up with a kind of deal," he said.
"I just don't share the optimism that we're going to find somebody there willing, in a sense, to bite the bullet and make the concessions they need to make."
Abrams said he doesn't believe Iran's regime can be removed without putting hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground.
"We've really, really weakened this regime. It will fall," he said.
"None of us can predict, you know. Is it a month or a year? Is it five years? But we're leaving a regime that's much, much weaker and an economy that's much, much weaker," Abrams continued.
"And by the way, it'll be a lot weaker by Saturday, because we're starting to hit the economic targets."
He said the U.S. needs to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is open and that oil can move through the area, "which may mean taking some of those islands."
"It may mean taking part of the southern coast of Iran," Abrams said.
"If the Strait of Hormuz isn't really open, freely open, the president is going to look like he did not win this war."
Abrams said he believes the war will end when Trump vows to stop attacking Iran in exchange for Iran agreeing to not attack any other countries and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"They'll claim victory. They'll say, 'We got everything we needed,' and then we just stop," he said.
"I don't think there'll be a signed agreement here."
Abrams said he doesn't believe Iran will attempt to rebuild its nuclear arsenal as long as Trump is president.
"We should be ... making sure that they don't start rebuilding and at the same time doing whatever we can to help the people of Iran so that they can, in fact, get rid of this government that they hate," he said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.