Deal with few friends throws a lifeline to regime Trump vowed to destroy

June 18, 2026 — 9:58am

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Spruiking his Iran deal at the G7 in France, Donald Trump said he did not want to be regarded like Herbert Hoover, the US president he blamed for causing the Great Depression.

An “economic catastrophe” was possible if the Middle East conflict dragged on, Trump said – perhaps revealing why, at Versailles on Wednesday night, he finally signed the agreement to end the war.

After all, the deal is hardly a ripper for the United States. As it stands, it makes numerous concessions to Iran, without eliciting much in return – apart from restating Iran’s existing position that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons.

It is the sort of agreement one might consider successful if it were signed with a new, more moderate Iranian regime, rather than the old Islamic dictatorship. But this is not the case, insist though Trump does, that these new leaders are a much-improved bunch.

“It’s a shocking, weak deal,” says Dan Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel and deputy assistant defence secretary for the Middle East, now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. “What’s surprising is there seems to be significant front-loaded sanctions relief, even before the nuclear talks get underway.”

Read in full: The US-Iran 14-point peace deal

The key upfront contribution from Iran........

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