US-Iran Pact Offers Tehran Resources and Chance to Prevail Over Foes - Editorial

Time and funds represent the core needs for Iran's Islamic government to recover, reorganize, and sustain support for its militant allies across the Middle East.

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite armed groups burn an image of US President Donald Trump during a rally in solidarity with Iran's government in Tehran, outside the Iranian consulate in Basra, Iraq, January 13, 2026.

(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Aty/File Photo)

ByJPOST EDITORIAL

JUNE 21, 2026 05:57

A grim joke circulates through cafes and markets across Iran these days concerning the amount Qatar supposedly paid US President Donald Trump to approve his fresh deal with Tehran.

No one seriously thinks Doha is sending payments to the White House, yet the dark humor among many Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic reveals their shock that after years of backing terrorism, menacing neighbors, suppressing opposition, and advancing a nuclear effort - and enduring strikes from US and Israeli forces for six weeks along with added economic restrictions - the government seems set to exit its recent clash with more room to maneuver than earlier.

The Trump administration maintains the reverse holds true.

Addressing The New York Times recently, US Vice President JD Vance upheld the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran while rejecting objections from Israeli officials.

When Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir cautioned that the pact could bolster the government, Vance replied with a query: "What is your exact proposal?"

This represents a reasonable inquiry. Yet it remains one that numerous Israelis would say carries a clear response.

Israelis observed Iran construct web of militant allies throughout area

Over many years, Israel has monitored Iran establishing a regional system of allies extending from Lebanon and Syria into Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza. Israelis have endured the missile strikes, suicide attacks, rocket assaults, and allied conflicts that ensued.

They have witnessed international pacts appear and vanish, sanctions applied and removed, limits set and ignored.

Briefly, Israelis understand the situation well. And if Vance ignores Israeli perspectives, perhaps statements from within Iran also carry weight.

"The overall atmosphere here involves profound discouragement and low spirits," a Tehran resident shared with The Jerusalem Post recently. "Each fresh comment from Trump or Vance appears to spark further outrage and a strong feeling of letdown."

This explains why Vance's rejection of what he termed a "strange alarm" regarding the pact has encountered such doubt. The worry does not involve Iran turning more threatening overnight. The worry centers on the pact granting the government the two assets it has long prized most: time and funds.

Time permits the government to recover and reorganize, restore and persist.

Funds permit it to keep backing its allies, notably Hezbollah, with Lebanon nearing turmoil amid ongoing strife in the nation's south.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton expressed comparable worries recently, cautioning that easing sanctions on Iranian oil shipments might supply Tehran with up to 200 million dollars daily.

As Cotton observed, the Islamic Republic is unlikely to direct those resources toward schools, medical facilities, or community services.

Even supporters of talks should recognize this fact. Every dollar entering the government bolsters the structures that sustain it. The slogans of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" will not vanish abruptly, nor will a fresh, peaceful partner emerge globally.

Trump forgoing recognition for diminishing Iranian government

The paradox lies in Trump earning recognition for weakening Iran. His maximum pressure effort caused significant economic harm to the government, and Israeli security figures recently highlighted near-total economic breakdown in Iran. That outcome will not occur now.

This renders the timing of the pact even more puzzling.

The Post's Amichai Stein noted recently the worries over economic strain, increasing fuel costs, and political fallout from extended fighting influencing Washington's choices.

Trump himself noted recently that he sought to prevent an economic disaster.

That may be understandable from a domestic political view with midterms approaching.

Yet history indicates that when handling the Islamic Republic, short-term economic factors frequently generate extended strategic issues.

For many Israelis, and more so for many Iranians opposed to their own government, what they perceive is an extreme administration that has weathered another threat and may soon gain exactly what it requires most.

Additional time, additional funds, and another opportunity to outlast its rivals.