Trump’s Iran agreement and the Middle East’s unthinkable next step

Published June 18, 2026 6:09pm ET



President Donald Trump has secured a framework agreement with Iran and is presenting it as a historic peace breakthrough. Supporters hail it as a major diplomatic achievement that reduces tensions, lowers the risk of war, and opens new channels of communication between Washington and Tehran.

They may be right. Yet if Trump still harbors ambitions for a Nobel Peace Prize, he may be thinking too small. Even normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia would pale beside a truly transformative breakthrough: an agreement in which Iran formally ends its conflict with Israel as part of a broader regional settlement that includes the creation of a Palestinian state.

Already a print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.