Iran will try to string us along and sell us a bad deal — but businessman Trump won’t let it happen
By Jack Keane
Published April 9, 2026, 2:54 p.m. ET
Iran got exactly what it wanted out of the cease-fire agreement announced Tuesday night.
Now it’s up to President Donald Trump to make sure the regime’s short-term win doesn’t become a lasting strategic victory.
When Trump ordered a halt to the US air assault on Iran, American and Israeli forces were perhaps 10 days to two weeks away from wiping out Iran’s remaining ballistic missile launchers, underground storage sites, military production facilities and related non-defense industries.
Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz with one objective in mind: stopping the war with a remnant of its military might intact.
Nonetheless, Trump still has significant leverage by imposing a two-week deadline to achieve a deal, or combat operations will resume at an accelerated pace.
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https://nypost.com/2026/04/09/opinion/iran-will-try-to-push-a-bad-deal-but-trump-wont-let-it-happen/It is desperate to demonstrate to the world, and especially to its Gulf neighbors, that despite all the kinetic damage it’s sustained, it still maintains control, power, and influence in the region.
In that, Iran has succeeded because it is still in control of the strait as the IRGC Navy is approving all ships moving through — and, of course, can shut it down again at will.
The other Gulf nations understand the cease-fire means their economies are vulnerable to Tehran’s direct influence.
The White House hopes to ease gas prices further and boost the stock market while Iran tramples on international law to do so: Under the customary law of the sea, the Strait of Hormuz is an international passage that must remain free to all.
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https://nypost.com/2026/04/09/opinion/iran-will-try-to-push-a-bad-deal-but-trump-wont-let-it-happen/
