On June 17, 2026, President Donald Trump called Iran’s ballistic missile force an instrument of “self-defense.” He suggested US Space Force oversight of Iran’s nuclear enrichment installations if the uranium stayed inside the country and dismissed critics of his Iran memorandum as “losers.”

Vice President JD Vance gave the policy its rationale. According to him, Trump alone remains “the only world leader still sympathetic to Israel”; therefore, Israel must respect the “peace process”, stop striking Beirut, and avoid going “wild in Lebanon” even as Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli civilians and soldiers. Vance collapsed the distinction between Iran’s offensive arsenal and Israel’s right to self-defense, then told Israelis to “wake up.”

This is capitulation masquerading as realism. Vance no longer grounds support for Israel in common enemies, intelligence cooperation, or shared democratic values. He treats it as a revocable favor from an “America First” camp that sees allies as burdens and terrorist regimes as tools. When so-called conservatives equate Israeli counter-terror operations with the regime that arms the terrorists, Washington is not confronting the arsonist but lecturing the fireman.

The US-Iran memorandum delivers the payoff. Tehran receives roughly $344 billion through sanctions relief, released assets, investment, and restored energy value—$24 billion via Qatar, $20 billion through Emirati channels, and $300 billion in a reconstruction and energy package. The State of Israel........

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