Did Trump Surrender to Iran?
June 17, 2026 1:42am
Did President Trump just guarantee that Iran will obtain nuclear weapons in the future? Probably. Did he guarantee that Iran will be a bigger threat to the world even without nukes? Definitely.
When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 27th, I said at the time that if the war resulted in the Islamic theocrats being replaced by a secular, pro-Western government, it would be the greatest foreign policy achievement of the millennium. But if the mad mullahs remained in charge, it would be the worst foreign policy disaster of the millennium. It appears Donald Trump has guaranteed the latter.
The war started well. On the first day, as a result of an incredibly successful intelligence operation by Israel's Mossad, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a surprise attack along with dozens of other Iranian leaders. The militaries of the United States and Israel soon destroyed many of Iran's ballistic missiles and attack drones, along with the facilities used to construct them. We decimated Iran's air force. We sent most of its navy to the bottom of the sea. But when Iran responded by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump chickened out.
Despite Trump's decision to blockade Iranian ports during the ceasefire, the ceasefire should never have occurred. We had Iran by the throat. We had momentum. We had the ability to continue attacking the Islamists who have attacked the West for 47 years. We could have ended that Islamic rule. But Trump chose weakness instead. Trump chose to end the conflict while leaving Iran's terrorist regime intact.
The details of the peace agreement that is scheduled to be signed this Friday have not been publicly released. So what follows is speculative, although it is based on reporting that claims confirmed accuracy. The agreement supposedly does not prohibit Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. It does not limit their production of ballistic missiles or their development of longer range ballistic missiles. It does not limit Iran's production of attack drones either. It appears the agreement will allow Iran to build up its conventional forces to levels far greater than it had before this war began. Worse, it looks like that buildup will be well-funded because Trump will grant the Ayatollah access to hundreds of billions of dollars by lifting sanctions, ending the blockade of its ports, and releasing embargoed funds. Iran will also benefit from once again selling its oil on the open market. Consequently, this agreement will guarantee the survival of the Islamic regime. Those Islamist hardliners will be far more powerful and far more dangerous because Trump didn't have the courage to properly finish what he started.
It would have been nice if the European nations of NATO, who are heavily dependent on Persian Gulf oil, would have aided in the military action against Iran rather than condemning President Trump for conducting it. But Europe is governed by weak socialists who have been protected and coddled for so many decades that they lack the will or ability to militarily defend their own interests.
Trump's so-called "peace plan" will eliminate any leverage the U.S. would have in the future negotiations about ending Iran's nuclear weapons program. With this deal, there won't be any incentive for Iran to end their quest for nuclear weapons. In fact, Iran will be more determined than ever to acquire them. It will be emboldened to engage in aggressive actions, believing it would be protected by its proven capability to deny ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The inevitable future military action against the Islamic Republic will be far more difficult and costly because China will help rearm Iran with far more sophisticated weapons than it used over the past three months. Iran will build a massive arsenal of missiles, rockets, attack drones, and anti-ship weapons.
Trump sought this peace deal in an attempt to improve the economy long enough that the Republicans don't lose the House and Senate in the midterm elections this November. But that short term political gain - which is unlikely anyway - has weakened America, strengthened Iran, and endangered the entire Western world. Donald Trump has done many bad things while in office. But his decision to surrender to Iran is his absolute worst. There is no good way to spin this. President Trump began a war he was unwilling to finish. And America lost.
Maybe Trump sees this as only a temporary deal. Perhaps he knows Iran will eventually violate its terms, which Trump would use as the reason to finish then what he should finish now. Time will tell. But the ONLY good way for the conflict with Iran to end is with the Islamist regime being replaced by a secular, pro-western government. If that were to happen, Iran would end its quest for nuclear weapons, eliminate is ballistic missile threat, cease its support of terrorist proxies, open the Strait of Hormuz, and put its oil back on the open market. Everyone except the bad guys would win. But it appears Donald Trump has chosen to surrender instead. It's disgraceful. And dangerous.