While we are at war with Iran, while Iran’s leverage in the war is its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, where its de facto blockade has suspended a fifth of the world’s oil commerce, the Trump administration has lifted sanctions on 140 million barrels of Iranian oil. At the currently inflated prices, this is worth about $14 billion to Tehran. The revenue will underwrite the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ continuing combat operations against the United States, Israel, and U.S.-friendly Gulf states — including the attacks and threats that have effectively closed the Strait.

Mind you: President Trump has been scathing in his criticism of President Obama — and rightly so — for the latter’s delivering pallets of cash and purported “interest on settlement of past claims” to the Iranian regime to seal the wayward Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and ransom hostages. But the financial benefit to the regime Trump has just approved — while we are actively at war with the regime, pursuant to Trump’s initiative without congressional approval — is nearly ten times what Obama paid ($14 billion, compared to $1.7 billion).

How does this conceivably make sense?

According to Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent,........

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