A Trump deal for Palestine could tame Iran's regime
Iran is at its weakest point in decades. Its proxies have been decimated, its economy and infrastructure is in tatters, and its isolation over its nuclear program is deepening. Blackouts stretch on for days, damaging household appliances and spoiling food. Government salaries barely cover basic needs. One asset manager in Tehran described people's mood to me as tired, angry, hungry, and thirsty.
The economic stress is stoking unrest. A nationwide truck drivers' strike began spreading in May. It's a labor dispute, and authorities threatened arrests. But the fear that once controlled the streets is eroding. Videos show ordinary Iranians encouraging striking workers, saying 'damet garm,' or 'more power to you.'
US President Donald Trump can accelerate this decline by removing all that is propping up the regime: the nuclear program and Tehran's adoption of the Palestinian cause. What if Trump's broader ambition for peace in the Middle East holds the key to ending the nuclear standoff and reshaping Iran itself?
The Islamic Republic has long anchored its legitimacy to defending the Palestinian cause, using proxies to pose an existential threat to Israel. Regime officials say that Palestine is the sole reason for their hostility toward Israel. The creation of a Palestinian state — or just a credible process toward one with backing from most Arab states — would strip Tehran of its ideological cover. All that would be left is a government that can't provide its citizens with electricity, salaries, or security.
That's why a Trump-brokered deal for a Palestinian state could break Tehran's narrative, and may produce a peace that extends beyond nuclear containment. And Trump doesn't have to rush on either front because the regime is teetering.
To be sure, regime change is not part of the Trump Doctrine and a peaceful transition to democracy is unlikely. But the combination of a nuclear agreement and a Palestinian state would poke holes in the script the Islamic Republic has been selling for generations, and may finally give Iran's long-suppressed opposition a chance to tell a new story.
Gulf states and Israel are on opposite sides of a nuclear deal. The Gulf aims to be at the center of a new regional order, balancing Israel and Iran, Johns Hopskins professor Vali Nasr writes in Foreign Affairs.
The central hurdle in nuclear talks: Iran's red line on uranium enrichment, The New York Times explains.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
11 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
The Budget Bill Is Creating a Republican Existential Crisis
The Republican budget bill, a $3.7 trillion tax cut packaged with $1.2 trillion in spending cuts, is deeply problematic legislation from almost any perspective — including those of its authors. The Congressional Budget Office has the details about how it will be expensive and ineffectual. But for Republicans, President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' is creating what amounts to an existential crisis. For half a century, Republicans have been committed to the policy of lower taxes to aid the economy — impervious to any evidence that tax cuts are inefficient and prohibitively expensive. At this point, to walk away from the bill is to abandon their economic raison d'etre.
Bloomberg
11 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Netherlands Defence Minister: NATO-wide 5% defence spend would be "historic"
Ruben Brekelmans, Netherlands Minister of Defence said they and their European partners support President Donald Trump's calls to encourage Iran to the negotiation table in order to "come to a sustainable solution". Speaking about the upcoming NATO meeting, he told Bloomberg's Oliver Crook "if we agree to 5% spending on core defence and defence-related matters, that would be a historic step" and said it would be of particular significance "if 32 allies in unity agree on this". (Source: Bloomberg)
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
Ted Cruz: Biden's foreign policy 'accelerated' Iran's nuclear program
All times eastern FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Trump to huddle with top brass after hammering Iran's nuclear sites
