And Trump takes Israel for a ride. Meanwhile, Iran tells Israel: Hands off Hezbollah
Not to worry. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon — because President Donald Trump has given Iran 60 more days to negotiate its end. Sixty days here, six years there, a couple of decades thrown in for good measure, and what’s a nuclear weapon between friends?
Donald Trump is the latest to fall for Iran’s string-’em-out “promise” to negotiate the end to its ambitions for a nuclear weapon. Barack Obama. The United Nations. Joe Biden. Condoleeza Rice. Jimmy Carter. John Kerry. To mention just a few notables, they have all fallen for Iran’s assurances and promises and oaths and solemn word and good faith commitments — always given with a straight face. String ‘em out: that’s Iran’s strategy since the ayatollahs took power 47 years ago. It’s worked.
As if the Iran-US deal were not dangerous enough, the first thing Iran adds is that the deal includes a permanent, one-sided ceasefire against Hezbollah. Israel, however, was not a party to the Iran-US negotiations. Iran can bind Iran. The US can bind the US. Neither can bind Israel, since neither Iran nor the US included Israel in the negotiations. Israel is free to defend itself against perpetual bad actors: Hezbollah and Iran.
Iran’s assertion of Hezbollah’s right to keep harming Israel is proof enough, if proof were needed, of its intent not to make peace.
But it’s worse. It’s an escape hatch. It’s Iran’s assertion of a right to attack Israel if Israel defends itself against Hezbollah aggression. Iran will claim that it hasn’t broken the ceasefire; Israel has — an absurdity, it is worth repeating, because Israel was not a party to the ceasefire. Iran will assert the further absurdity of self-defense in attacking Israel as Iran defends, not itself, but a military force in a different country — Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Why has Iran succeeded in bringing Trump into line with all of the American politicians who preceded him? It’s cultural. The Islamic Republic of Iran thinks differently. Essentially, Iran is not fighting for military victory or economic rebirth or any other material, measurable goal. Iran is fighting for the realization of a fanatic religious vision of world-religious dominance. No price is too high to pay for that goal and no subterfuge is unjustified to achieve it. Neither Trump nor his precedessors understand this anti-Western mindset. Trump cannot see past his cultural skin.
Here we are again. Another deal. Another promise. Another delay. Another danger, especially for Israel, which must still face Iran’s missiles and terror proxies, neither of which (it seems as of this writing) are covered in the ceasefire.
Surely this is a failure for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-yahu, who now claims that almost all of Israel’s goals in its war against Iran have been achieved . . . uh, as in the destruction of Iran’s missiles? Iran’s missile fire against Israel this month, on June 7, disproved that.
Welcome to the Middle East.
© IJN 2026
