Iran and Saudi Arabia are both repressive, brutal petrostates. They’re at each others’ throats for their own reasons. Does the U.S. have to accept the Sunni vs. Shia, 1000-year old genocidal conflict that will have them at each other’s throats for the next 1000 years? Does it make sense for us to choose between them in their stupid religious squabble? Honesty?
If Iran gets nukes, then Saudi Arabia will get nukes, and every other country in the region will get nukes too, vastly increasing the risk of WWIII. That’s the bottom-line reason for a deal with Iran — not because we like them, or think they’re great, or better than Saudi Arabia. They’re not. But if you don’t like Iran now, wait till they’re nuked up.
Venezuela is another horrible basketcase repressive petrostate. But at the moment, Russia is worse. Way worse. Russia is actively genociding another country while holding the rest of the word hostage on a high nuclear alert, Venezuela isn’t.
So yes, let’s open up petrochemical trade with Venezuela for now, until we can dump them like a hot potato as soon as we are able, and work on true energy independence in the meantime. That means fracking, yes — but also nuclear, and also clean, green energy. An all-of-the-above energy independence strategy.
Many U.S. fracking projects went bust under Trump in 2020, a fact lost on many right-wingers right now. A second-term Trump would be facing all of these same dilemmas.