For release: 06/18/26
A deal with the Devil
By Cal Thomas
Tribune Content Agency
President Trump’s interim peace deal with Iran, which has partially opened the Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices tumbling (but not yet gas prices), may be good for the short term – meaning the November elections – but long term it is not in the best interests of the United States, Europe or the rest of the civilized world.
The reason is, to paraphrase stock disclaimers – Iran’s past performance on keeping its word is a guarantee of future performance. And what about those proxies Iran has been supporting? If Iran doesn’t cheat on the deal, which is a distinct possibility, they can always find help elsewhere.
I often bypass the chattering classes, diplomats and world leaders to consider the thoughts of an old friend who knows more about the Iranian mindset than anyone I know. He is former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger. In his latest newsletter, he reminds people who have forgotten, and instructs people who never knew, what the true Iranian mindset looks like and how it contrasts with Western thinking.
Ettinger calls the negotiated deal “Irreconcilable and self-destructive.” The full version can be read here . What follows is my edited version that cuts to the heart of this bad deal.
“While the Ayatollah’s negotiators benefit from a marathon-like state of mind, Western negotiators are severely undermined by their sprint-like state of mind, which is prone to impatience.” We saw that on full display as the president was visibly overanxious to achieve an agreement.
Ettinger continues: “Contrary to the Ayatollah’s concept of negotiation, the Western concept assumes good faith…(it) underscores reconciliation and peaceful co-existence with both sides making concessions.” However – and this is key – “The Ayatollah’s concept of negotiation – since the 7th century – is an extension of warfare by other means. This is a tactical pause, not a final outcome. (Its ideology) transcends financial and diplomatic considerations. They exploit agreements, then discard them when circumstances change.”
President Trump has dangled the carrot of prosperity before the regime after using the stick of bombs. Does he really believe that dictators who murdered thousands of their own people and believe Allah wants them to continue attacking the “infidels” would succumb to materialistic enticements?
Yes, Iran’s military has been weakened, but as mentioned, they take the long view. And they will likely get help rebuilding it from China, Russia and North Korea because those dictatorial countries also hate America.
Iran’s previous record of broken promises includes misleading International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors who sought to learn if Iran was enriching Uranium to a level where it could make a nuclear weapon. The deal President Trump made will likely include an agreement that inspectors again be allowed into the country. But this is like the vice squad raiding a house of ill repute and getting a promise from the Madam to cease what is going on upstairs. After they leave, it will be business as usual.
And so it most likely will be with Iran and the deal it signs. It might as well be written in disappearing ink. The president will get what he wants in time for the election, but will he get what the world needs? Based on Iran’s past performance, it is highly unlikely and the world will be worse off for it. This is why such things have been called “a deal with the devil” because the devil always comes out on top.
Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
(C) 2026 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
Once again, conservative columnist Cal Thomas (Gazette, June 20) has added his voice to the crescendo of those willing to address the issue of radical Islam and the determination of the Ayatollahs of Iran, ever since their “Islamic revolution” of 1979, to destroy Western civilization, beginning with Israel and the United States – their “little and great Satans.” Citing an Israeli authority, Thomas, in support of his thesis that any “deal” with Iran is fatally short sighted – compares the “marathon” mindset of the Iranian regime to the “sprint like” attitude of the West, which craves, largely for political reasons, short term, tactical success. Negotiations with Iran, he implies, simply prolong what successive generations of Ayatollahs believe is an inevitable Islamic victory. Thomas’ message, together with others – notably Mark Levin – reflect a growing determination to drum into our heads the true state of the Islamic world.
In 2007, I helped organize a public symposium through the continuing education organization Pillar – and endorsed by UCCS and the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council – entitled “Radical Islam: What Do We Need To Know,” featuring analysts from the Air Force Academy, Colorado College and NORAD, who traded themes on the subject, including whether or not the various “terrorist” groups, Al Qaida, ISIS, Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc., were only Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) separate from nation state sponsorship and whether or not they were but local “insurgencies” that should be dealt with region-by-region rather than globally, or “transnationally.” And perhaps most importantly of all, were there moderate Muslims anywhere who are willing to address the question of radical Islam. There are, of course, moderate Muslims – I have been privileged to know a few. Such questions, it was agreed, were vital in how the West – primarily the United States – should respond. (DVD available).
Today we are recognizing that radical Islam is very much state-sponsored by Iran and are asking the same question: How should the western world today respond to “Islamism?” We might first rid ourselves of the various “phobias” that in the name of inclusion and diversity have blinded us to the reality of what a radical and global Islam represents. (And might we, please, define the vacuous term “terror” by naming, explicitly, the who, what, why and where of “terrorism?”). Just look at Europe and increasingly, in America, where we are now struggling over the influence of Muslim immigration, “sharia” law and the presence of mosques and their effect on American culture. Much more than the details, for Thomas, are with the devil.
Whitney Galbraith
Colorado Springs
719-633-2740
Wow Whitney, that’s quite a critique! Thanks for taking the time to wright? Do you have my latest book “A Watchman in then Night> I think you would enjoy it.