{"text":[[{"start":9.15,"text":"Rahm Emanuel attacked Donald Trump’s ceasefire deal with Iran, claiming the US president “just got schooled” hours after the Revolutionary Guards announced they were closing the Strait of Hormuz. "}],[{"start":20.75,"text":"Emanuel, a veteran Democratic powerbroker who is a long-shot presidential candidate, slammed the deal signed by Trump in Versailles this week as “the memorandum of misunderstanding”."}],[{"start":31.9,"text":"“While the president thinks he wrote a book called The Art of the Deal, they’re going to teach him a lesson — which is the Persian lesson, the art of the negotiation,” he said. “And he just got schooled, unbelievably.”"}],[{"start":45.05,"text":"Emanuel told the FT Weekend Festival in New York on Saturday that the war had strengthened Iran’s hand. "}],[{"start":52,"text":"Before the conflict began in late February, the regime was weak, with a broken economy and domestic uprisings, he noted. The war had shown that it could not only survive a US strike, but wreak havoc on the world economy by closing the strait. "}],[{"start":66.8,"text":"“It is the single worst — and there’s a lot of competition for it — American national security mess that I’ve ever seen,” he said. "}],[{"start":75,"text":"Emanuel’s remarks came as Iran said it was closing the strait, a crucial waterway for global energy flows, in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. "}],[{"start":84.5,"text":"The closure marks the latest setback in Trump’s attempts to end a war that is harming his popularity at home ahead of midterm elections in November. "}],[{"start":93.5,"text":"The original closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flowed prior to the conflict, led to a rise in global energy prices. In the US, petrol prices hit their highest level in either of Trump’s two terms in office, pushing inflation to its highest in almost three years. "}],[{"start":109.65,"text":"Oil prices fell sharply earlier this week after the US president announced on Sunday that Tehran had agreed to gradually reopen the strait under the terms of a memorandum of understanding, which it signed with the US on Wednesday. "}],[{"start":122.80000000000001,"text":"Talks on limiting Iran’s capacity to build a nuclear weapon were meant to start in Switzerland on Friday, but were postponed by Tehran because of the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah — its most important proxy — in Lebanon. The US, Qatar and Iran brokered a ceasefire on Friday, but the fighting continued on Saturday."}],[{"start":142.95000000000002,"text":"Emanuel, a former chief of staff to Barack Obama whose most recent public role was US ambassador to Japan, renewed his criticism of the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming the country had “never been more, quote unquote, militarily secure but diplomatically and strategically isolated . . . in its 78-year history”. "}],[{"start":162.60000000000002,"text":"Netanyahu “has driven Israel into a wall”, Emanuel said. “Five years ago it was known as the Start-Up Nation, and today he wants to make it Sparta . . . You lost America and you picked up Somaliland.”"}],[{"start":175.3,"text":"He suggested the US should not rule out sanctioning Israel. "}],[{"start":179.75,"text":"“You have a government today that is complicit with terrorising Palestinians on the West Bank,” he said. “This is against [US] interests. Therefore, like we do with other countries, there will be a price to pay.” "}],[{"start":193.25,"text":"Emanuel, who also worked for Bill Clinton and served as Chicago mayor, is seen as a potential Democratic candidate for the 2028 presidential election. "}],[{"start":202.8,"text":"He refused to confirm or deny he was campaigning for the nomination. He said that if he did run he would focus on building a stronger America and improving education. "}],[{"start":213.70000000000002,"text":"“I’m in the renewal wing [of the party]. I want to show the American people that we can fight for America, not just fight Donald Trump,” he said. "}],[{"start":222.70000000000002,"text":"He blasted the campaign of Kamala Harris, who lost heavily to Trump in 2024. "}],[{"start":228.95000000000002,"text":"“When schools finally opened [after the Covid pandemic], don’t have a debate about bathroom access, when it should be about classroom excellence,” he said. “What a stupid mistake that was.”"}],[{"start":250,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782085658_6019.mp3"}