As the world bids goodbye to summer 2026, Iran wants to revisit the month of June. That is, it wants to return to the terms of the June ceasefire agreement (which they refused to honor, only hours into the agreed-upon deal).

During the first week of September 2026, Israel Katz, the defense minister for the nation of Israel, threatened to “send Iran back to the Stone Age.” This approach to the recalcitrant regime in Iran is very similar to statements made in recent weeks by President Trump. Given that war in Iran amounts to engagement with a group “never-at-any-point-acting-in-good-faith,” Trump’s promise in March to “obliterate” the regime is, sadly, the only practical perspective.

America should welcome any cease-fire that saves American lives, protects our allies (read: Israel) and gives diplomacy a chance. But Americans must not confuse a cessation of hostilities with reconciliation — and certainly not mistake negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran for evidence that Tehran suddenly shares our desire for peaceful coexistence.

Such distinctions matter significantly. The United States and Iran reached an interim ceasefire agreement in June, but the arrangement quickly deteriorated. By July, President Trump declared the ceasefire over after renewed attacks, and by September 1, fighting had resumed. Iran now says it is willing to return to the June agreement if Washington does the same. However, Americans must reject the comforting assumption that a return to diplomatic negotiations is the search for a mutually........

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