How does the Middle East see the U.S.-Iran deal?

0:00This message comes from the United States Postal Service, dedicated to putting reliability at the core of USPS Ground Advantage to help businesses operate smoothly. More at USPS.com slash Ground Advantage. WBUR Podcasts. Boston. I hope it holds people in the region, across the region, here in Doha, in Iran, in Lebanon, all over the place, want this war to end. but it's just going to be a difficult road ahead. Calling it a deal implies it's done. But peace talks between the U.S. and Iran are anything but.

0:51It's Tuesday, June 16th, and this is Here and Now, anytime from NPR and WVR. I'm Chris Bentley. Today on the show, Colorado gets FDA approval to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. But that does not mean Americans can actually buy them yet. Also, there's a new mayor in Roku City, Fox. This is the biggest acquisition by far in the company's history.

1:24But first, President Trump is at the G7 summit today in France, where he was asked a crucial question about his agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Can this deal survive if Israel attacks Lebanon? It can, and I consider that the minor war. Iran's a big one, but we have that little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head, and that's Hezbollah. Israel has said it's keeping troops in Lebanon, which threatens to derail peace talks between Iran and the U.S. The actual text of that Memorandum of Understanding, the preliminary agreement that opened the door to those talks, by the way, is still not public.

2:09So how is this all going over elsewhere in the region? Negar Murtazavi is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, and she has some thoughts. Here's her conversation with Scott Tong. You're in Qatar on the Persian Gulf, just across from Iran. The country has been caught in the crossfire as Iran has launched attacks on targets there, including an American airbase. How are people there responding to news of this framework deal? There's a lot of happiness and relief because, as you said, this is a country, the host of the largest U.S. base in the region, a very close ally of the U.S., but also a close ally of Iran.

2:47And it's essentially caught between a powerful ally and a powerful neighbor that has been there, will always be there. And so they have been trying to manage sort of this fight and these relationships. This memorandum is really bringing some relief. And we know Qatar played a very key role, especially towards the end. You, of course, are watching Iran very closely. How do you read how Iranian leaders are framing this temporary deal and whether they will indeed sign the Memorandum of Understanding, which is expected Friday? All signs indicate that they will sign it, and they have already started selling it both sides.

3:27and they are presenting this as an absolute win and an absolute loss for the opposite side. And it's something that's happening both in Tehran and Washington. And it was very much expected. And frankly, for them, winning wasn't hard. For them, winning was just not losing because they didn't have any of these grand goals that the U.S. set. Regime change, destroying their army, destroying their navy. And then eventually the problem that wasn't even a problem, which is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, that was created because of this war, and that's now the core basis of this memorandum. So for the Iranians, permanently ending the war, including Lebanon, having the U.S.

4:05lift the blockade and some economic relief down the line in exchange for a nuclear deal is something that they're presenting as a win that they got because they showed a lot of strength and deterrence on the battlefield. One topic still very unclear, likely up for future discussion, is Iran's nuclear program. including its enriched uranium, which President Trump has said the U.S. will destroy. At this point, are there realistic options as to what the future of Iran's nuclear program will look like? So the Iranians have committed publicly, privately that they're not going to weaponize. They're not after a nuclear weapons program.

4:43The details of a civilian nuclear program, the levels of enrichment, you know, the nuclear stockpile that they have, which is beyond what the civilian program needs. All of that is to be discussed later. One sticking point that I will be watching is Lebanon because Iran wants Lebanon very much involved and Israel does not want that. Well, let me jump in and ask you about this question. Iran's foreign minister has said the deal requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon where it has been attacking the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah. On Morning Edition today, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Leiter, defended Israel's actions in Lebanon.

5:26We're not going to withdraw from south Lebanon. And the madmen of Tehran have no business poking their nose into Lebanon. This is precisely the issue that we're dealing with, Iran being a regional hegemon. So is this question of Israel and Lebanon going to be a deal-breaking issue? It can be. So what happens here is Israel, who is not a party at the table, and Lebanon, also not a party at the table, are very much part of this deal. So right now, the ball would be in Washington's court. The inclusion of Lebanon in this peace deal is something that Iran is not going to drop and that it can only happen with pressure from President Trump.

6:04Briefly, Nagar, do you sense that this process will hold? Do we have a ceasefire and the idea is it will lead to a memorandum of understanding being signed and then longer term peace talks this whole process? Is it your sense that it will hold and continue on? I have hope because I feel like both sides are done with the war. They want to exit the war and they have shown a lot of seriousness. I mean, President Trump has said that he actually himself signed the memorandum that shows seriousness. The vice president is going for the signing. the Iranian Speaker of Parliament. All of these are signs of seriousness.

6:43But at the same time, there's so much that can go wrong. So many spoilers, so many parties that have interest in making this go the wrong way. One of them being in Lebanon, Israel, that whole situation. So yes, I have hope. But at the same time, you know, this is going to be a long process. It's going to be very complicated and difficult. The nuclear talks are actually the most complicated, difficult part of this. And I don't know if two months is enough. It requires a lot of technical expertise, all hands on deck, essentially, that both sides need to assemble. So I hope it continues. I hope it holds people in the region, across the region, here in Doha, in Iran, in Lebanon, all over place, want this war to end.

7:24But it's just going to be a difficult road ahead. Nagar Murtazavi is Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy. Nagar, thank you very much. Thank you for having me. Coming up next, prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada, so most Americans support importing them from our neighbors to the north. There are legal barriers, however, but that is changing in some states. The bigger problem might be convincing Canadian drug makers to sell them. Peter O'Dowd has more after the break.

8:11This message comes from Grainger. This is the story of The One. As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products, from disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more. And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. The state of Colorado has won FDA approval to import prescription drugs from Canada, where medication is often far cheaper than in the United States.

8:54Colorado Governor Jared Polis told Colorado Public Radio it's a critical first step in the fight to lower drug prices. We all are sick and tired of being completely ripped off and paying twice as much, three times as much for the exact same prescription drug being sold in England or Canada. The state says it could save Coloradans around$46 million over the next three years. But first, Colorado needs to find suppliers in Canada who are willing to sell. John Daly's on the line. He's a health reporter at Colorado Public Radio. John, welcome. And why don't you start with which Canadian drugs we're talking about here and why those drugs?

9:29Sure. The list includes drugs for diabetes, HIV, prostate cancer, leukemia, cystic fibrosis, and inflammatory conditions, among other things. And among the drugs on the list are some that a lot of people have heard of or are often seen in TV ads. Those include Eliquis, which is a blood thinner that lowers the risk of stroke. the blood sugar medication Ozempic, which some people use for weight loss, and Rinvok, which is used to treat chronic inflammation. A lot of people use those prescription drugs. How much cheaper could they be from Canada? Well, you know, the governor and the governor's office say that they think it could be 20 percent to 70 percent cheaper than they are right now.

10:13And the state estimates the program could save Coloradans around$46 million over the next three years, that figure that you cited earlier. OK, so the governor says these drugs from Canada could be available in Colorado as soon as early next year. But I understand that's easier said than done. What's standing in the way? Well, you know, the idea has met resistance in Canada. Officials there have repeatedly made clear that they don't want to imperil their own medical supply, medicine supply, and that, you know, past outreach by states has failed to generate meaningful participation. The pharmaceutical industry has expressed skepticism about this idea, and they raise those issues from Canada and say that, you know, they worry about this posing a serious danger to public health.

11:03And they question whether these programs really would save money for patients. Well, there may be lessons here from Florida. That state also got FDA approval back in 2024. It was the first to do this. But Florida still hasn't gotten a single shipment of Canadian medication. And here's Governor Polis talking about that in an interview with ABC affiliate Denver 7. Let's listen. We learned a lot from Florida's proposal, which is approved, but never actually worked yet. And they've actually moved away from trying to figure out how to do it. So what exactly went wrong in Florida and how is Colorado's plan any different?

11:42Well, I think the big obstacle really remains what's happening in Canada. You know, that's where the supply would come from. And they've got to work out those kinks before the drugs could come to the United States. You know, Governor Polis didn't specify how Colorado's plan differs from Florida. But as you say, he insists that the drugs could be available as soon as next year. And he's optimistic that Colorado could even beat Florida in being able to get the drugs and those drug savings here. And I think he also believes that the more states to step up and get this kind of authorization will add pressure to this possibly happening.

12:22Well, I see. And importing drugs from Canada probably isn't going to solve the ongoing problem of high drug prices across the United States. But is there a way in which it might actually add a little impetus or make a small difference in the problem? I think Governor Polis certainly thinks that it could. And it gives him and the administration both the opportunity to talk about drug prices being too high and trying to show their constituents that they're trying to do something to change that. Well, until fairly recently, the Food and Drug Administration opposed this idea of importing drugs from Canada.

13:00What changed? Well, you know, that's unclear. The governor said that he's been working with both the Biden and Trump administration to make that happen. And, you know, it may really have something to do with affordability being such an important topic this election year with fall midterms coming up. You know, high prescription drug prices are a big worry for a lot of Americans. And this would be one way for the administration to signal that it gets those concerns. It also maybe would put additional pressure on the industry to perhaps lower prices in response. I think that's the thinking here and seems to be the thinking from the governor's office here in Colorado.

13:43John Daly is a health reporter at Colorado Public Radio with news that the state has won FDA approval to import prescription drugs from Canada. John, thanks. You bet.

14:02coming up another major merger in streaming and tv what does fox buying roku mean for you and your probably growing list of subscription services peter has more on that after the break

14:27This message comes from Grainger. This is the story of the one. As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products, from disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more. And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. The media giant Fox is making a big gamble on the future of streaming. The company announced yesterday it will acquire the smart TV company Roku in a$22 billion deal.

15:13Now that would put Fox in more than 100 million households that stream content using a Roku-powered device. Robin Farzad is host of Full Disclosure. And Robin, we got to start really basic here. I know there are some TV Luddites out there. What is a Roku TV anyway? Look, it's a device that, you know, you check into a hotel. You see that it says you want to log into Netflix. Are you a Roku person? Are you a YouTube person? This is what television has become. You know, are you an Apple TV person? It doesn't matter. Most TVs now come with these things embedded in it. But Fox is making a bet here.

15:46and media mogul Rupert Murdoch is 95 years old and he's running this company with his son. They have kind of the business instincts of corporate snakes. It's amazing what they avoid and what they dive into. They're saying we are now betting the ranch on ad-supported digital media where everybody else was binging on buying out, you know, Paramount Warner Brothers and Netflix doing this and Amazon and Apple doing that. They are placing their chips on free digital ad-supported, TV guide type connected TVs, the likes of which Roku now dominates. Is ad-supported TV still a good business model? Something happened during the pandemic.

16:27You remember the Netflix crash when they plateaued with their numbers. I think it was in 2022 and the stock tanked and they came out and said, guys, you know what? We're going to have to consider ads. At some point, you hit a plateau with what you can do in terms of shaking down subscribers for ever more money. Netflix subscription used to be$9,$10,$11,$12. At$19 or$20 in a bad economy, you start looking at your entire portfolio of media purchases every month. I'm paying more for Amazon Prime. I have a Spotify family account. Apple's trying to shake me down for this. Spotify, you know, Amazon moved people onto an ad tier because they realized that at a certain point, if you can keep the price low and make it ad supported, whether you're Hulu, whether you're Amazon, whether you're others, that's where the next tier of growth is.

17:16And so, yes, that has worked, even though I would have been really skeptical. I said, one of the joys of binging Netflix 10 years ago was not having to deal with ads, but I was pretty wrong. Okay, so you mentioned all these streaming services and these companies and these brand names. I am starting to feel a little bit confused as a consumer who, you know, if I want to watch something like, and I have to, you have to pay for it. And pretty soon all of this is going to rival year old cable subscription. So how should consumers think about this? This is a land grab. It's a battle for mindshare. I would have been amazed a few years ago if you told me that the Paramount Plus app was merging with HBO and CNN.

17:56And let's not forget, under Paramount Plus, there was CBS streaming. There was Showtime. Does anybody remember Showtime? All of that stuff is being rolled in and it just doesn't matter anymore. If something is a hit on TV, on ad-supported TV, or on streaming, or if it's The Pit or others, you just want to go and get it. And they perceive that the least amount of friction to attracting that subscriber is having an ad tier. And so Fox, which by the way, Peter, Fox, you know, did not ditch its cable assets, unlike NBC, unlike the others. Fox News right now is hugely successful. It has never been as profitable for whatever demographic and advertising reasons.

18:34They were very careful in terms of what they rushed to put out on an app. They staggered it ever so slowly. And this is the biggest acquisition by far in the company's history. But you know, Robin, investors did not like this news. Fox stock fell sharply yesterday and then again today. What's the problem from the point of view of investors? You're kind of getting into hardware. You're kind of at a certain point where you showed that you were agnostic enough to benefit off Fox News and really be disciplined with sports programming in your motion picture studio. Let's not forget, Fox was on the other side of this with respect to Disney's acquisition of Fox Entertainment Assets in 2019.

19:14And everybody's like, oh, Fox had a good run. Well, it was a brilliant top of the market time to sell out. So they've been doubted before. And this is a contrarian bet. This is betting that, like you said, Peter, we're kind of rebuilding the old cable tier, again, albeit digitally, through what used to be called over the top, whether you're using a Roku or using an Apple TV fob or an Amazon fire stick or whatever the heck it's called. The entire game has entirely changed. And guess what? Warner Brothers is about to be devoured by Paramount. And everybody perceives that this is the chance from a regulatory perspective to do these things.

19:46Well, exactly. Which leads me to my last question. Do you expect Fox to face any hurdles getting this deal finalized? They are being there. They are in some lawsuit. You know, there's a love hate relationship between the Murdochs and the Trump administration. It's mother's milk for Fox News. But I'm sure these guys are very savvy in terms of lobbying and playing that game. And they figure there's much more goodwill for Murdoch in this administration than there will be in a future potentially Democratic administration. Robin Farzad is host of Full Disclosure. Always nice to speak with you, Robin.

20:16Thanks. Likewise. Thank you, Peter.

20:22That's it for the show today. Here and now, anytime, comes from NPR and WBUR Boston. Today's stories were produced by Lynn Medigon, Wilder Fleming, and Sam Rafelson Our editors were Todd Munt, Michael Scotto, and Kat Welch Technical direction from Caleb Green and Andre Peralta Our theme music is by Mike Moschetto, Max Liebman, and me, Chris Bentley Our digital producers are Allison Hagen and Grace Griffin And here at Now's executive producer is Alan Price Thanks for listening. We'll be back with you tomorrow

20:57Thank you.