Unimaginably exposed before the world and before ourselves

Opinion Donald TrumpiranUnited Stateswar Unimaginably exposed before the world and before ourselves Unimaginably Exposed Before The World And Before Ourselves Relevant News Unimaginably exposed before the world and before ourselves 18 June 2026 Supporting victims and perpetrators alike 18 June 2026 Overnight pharmacies on Wednesday, June 18 18 June 2026 Chrysanthos Manoli 18 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Trump says he will bomb Iran again if he does not like the final agreement, or if Iran fails to comply with the memorandum of understanding. Yet if the CNN reporting on the contents of the memorandum to be signed — most likely on Friday — is confirmed, then Iran has no reason whatsoever not to sign and implement it. And, equally, the United States will have no reason not to move ahead with what has been agreed, since it has already been agreed and presented by the White House as a good deal for the country. That it is a good deal for the wider world is not in dispute. But it is an agreement which, read through CNN’s revealing report — if it indeed reflects the preliminary deal — raises a very large question: was it really necessary to go through a devastating and deadly war, which damaged the economic interests of all countries and societies across the planet, in order to arrive at arrangements that, to a significant extent, restore conditions that existed before the war? Because the core of the memorandum — the elements most heavily promoted by Trump — is the restoration of normality in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports by American warships. In other words, there is celebration over an agreement that removes the very problems created for Iran and for the world by the American-Israeli attack on Iran. And President Trump now seeks to present this as a personal victory. Is it really plausible that such a claim will convince many Americans? According to CNN, however, the memorandum also contains other such “glorious victories” for US foreign policy: the United States has agreed to gradually lift the harsh sanctions it had spent years using in an attempt to bring the Iranian regime to its knees. The outcome is clearly positive for everyone, but did it really require four months of bloodshed to reach this point? And if the Trump administration refuses to acknowledge the enormous strategic and tactical error of aligning with another equally brutal regime in the region, then is it not entirely expected that Tehran will present the agreement as a windfall for its own interests? All the more so when the memorandum reportedly provides for the creation of a fund for the gradual investment in a half-destroyed Iran, worth around $300 billion. CNN reported this fund, Reuters also reported it (noting that $150 billion has already been committed by companies to flow into Iran), while Mr Trump attempted yesterday to deny it, saying he would not pay Iran “even ten cents”. Reuters then returned with another report, stating that the $300 billion is indeed locked into the memorandum, but that it will not come from US state funds — rather from private companies in the United States, Gulf states and elsewhere. Why would it matter to Iran whether this vast sum comes from public or private sources? What matters is that it arrives — whether as compensation or as reconstruction assistance. Even this, in its own way, is a victory. Particularly if one takes into account the written US commitment to ensure the release and use by Iran of its vast frozen assets held in foreign banks. If there is one clause that allows Trump to claim success, it is the one stating that “the Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that it will never build nuclear weapons”. And also that “the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agreed that the fate of enriched material and the fate of all other mutually agreed matters relating to the nuclear field, including Iran’s nuclear needs, will be appropriately addressed in a final agreement”. That reference alone is striking, because it speaks of Iran’s “nuclear needs”. It is entirely right that the two countries reached an agreement. And it would be welcome if it is signed and implemented. But this memorandum, as reported by CNN, leaves Trump and Netanyahu completely exposed. They have achieved nothing of substance through this war. And into that void they have thrown the dead of battle, the civilians killed in bombings, and enormous global resources — slowing growth, pushing up inflation and interest rates, and reducing consumption. And these are only the most visible costs. The Iranian regime, too, has endured. And if anyone still doubts the scale of failure on the part of Trump and Netanyahu, they need only recall the major protests against Iran’s leadership just months ago, the killings of demonstrators, and Trump’s own promises of what was supposedly coming. Today, with this memorandum — which leaves regime power structures untouched — one can only imagine what those same Iranian protesters now think of the American president. Whatever they think, it is evidently not for publication. 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