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05/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2026 10:14

Iran, China, and International Diplomacy: Former U.S. Ambassador Speaks at LeMieux Speaker Series

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Former United States Ambassador Nicholas Burns lent his voice to Palm Beach Atlantic University's LeMieux Speaker Series on (PBA) Thursday, April 30.

Before Burns joined the faculty at Harvard University, where he teaches diplomacy and international relations, he worked in the U.S. government for over three decades, serving six presidents and nine secretaries of state. Most recently, he served as the U.S. ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 2021 to 2025.

Among Burns's accomplishments is his role as the lead U.S. negotiator on Iran's nuclear program. Knowing his proximity to the topic, Sen. George LeMieux opened the conversation by asking Burns for his thoughts on the current conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz

Burns succinctly summarized the U.S.'s stance in the conflict and relevant history around it, saying he supported President Trump's decision to set up a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz because the alternative would be to let Iranians toll the international waterway, which has never been tolled before.

The way out of the conflict with Iran, he continued, is firstly by reopening the Strait of Hormuz and, secondly, by removing the Iranian government's access to the 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium buried in the rubble of U.S.-bombed nuclear sites. These two objectives are essential to eliminating Iran as a threat to other nations and will require patience and diplomacy, he said.

"We're banking on us being able to outfox them, out-wait them, and negotiate," Burns said, estimating up to six weeks for a resolution.

Burns speculated that one outcome of the conflict could be increased reliance on the United States and Canada for oil and gas. Now that the world has seen what happens when Iran has the power to block energy resources by guarding the Strait of Hormuz, they will be looking for alternatives.

Authoritarian Bucket Lists

Moving on to other parts of the map, Burns reflected on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing that the Ukrainian people deserve support from the U.S. Currently, the U.S. has been acting like a lawyer for President Vladimir Putin, when really, we should be finding more ways to support President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Putin wants to draw an authoritarian line right in the heart of Europe," Burns said. "You can't be free when you've got an authoritarian line."

Also pressing an authoritarian regime is President Xi Jinping, Burns said, comparing him to China's past leader, Mao Zedong.

"These are two 73-year-olds, and neither of them are emotional or sentimental, but they both have described the other person as their best friend, and they both have a wish list," Burns assessed, saying that while Putin's goal is to take over Ukraine, Xi's goal is to take over Taiwan. Since Taiwan is a physically defendable island, he anticipates China's assault to mimic Iran's strategy by choking off resources to the island or infiltrating their government.

A War of Values and Human Rights

After narrowing in on each country's conflicts, Burns stepped back to share a broader, international perspective and our nation's stakes in it all. Identifying the goals of these global leaders helps the U.S. know how to strengthen and position itself to remain a dominant power.

While the U.S. is motivated to retain a position of power for the purpose of defending ourselves against attacks and preventing war, Burns mentioned that motivation also stems from standing up for American values of freedom and human rights. The reason why the U.S. should defend Ukraine and Taiwan is because the U.S. doesn't support Putin and Xi's mindset that they have the right to absorb those countries.

These powerful motivators are enough to unite political parties. Burns shared an example from one of his visits to China, where he was accompanied by three Republican and three Democratic senators. Each senator recounted the tragedy of fentanyl abuse in the U.S. and charged Xi to make a change. Remarkably, Xi agreed to help, saying he didn't want China to be held responsible for the deaths of Americans.

"I was so proud of those six senators, because if I had closed my eyes, I wouldn't have known who were the republicans on my right and who were the democrats on my left," Burns remembered. "They really came together, which gave me the sense as an American that when two parties pull together for big decisions, we're powerful."

NATO and Next Steps

Burns concluded his discussion with his thoughts on the U.S.'s current relationship with NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the hours after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Burns was the one to pick up the phone and entreat NATO to enact Article 5, which resulted in the U.S. and its allies retaliating in Afghanistan the very next day.

"With respect, I think it was a major mistake of the administration not to bring our major NATO allies in on the planning when we struck on February 28," Burns said. "My view is that we have to honor and respect them."

He also shared his opinion that investing in universities will be key to overcoming any potential conflicts with China, in particular, as we will need to be armed with the technology born from academic research. Addressing the students in the crowd, he encouraged those interested in working in the private sector to "dare greatly," quoting Theodore Roosevelt's famous "Man in the Arena" speech, and to give back by investing in or teaching at a university.

"More than anything, it would help," he said.

Ambassador Burns is the third guest of PBA's LeMieux Speaker Series. Other guests have included former U.S. Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo and John Kerry and Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis.

Learn more about the LeMieux Center for Public Policy and Speaker Series events at https://www.pba.edu/academics/schools/centers-of-excellence/lemieux/.

Palm Beach Atlantic University Inc. published this content on May 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 01, 2026 at 16:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]