David Horovitz: A Potential Trump Deal with the Islamic Republic Could Be a “Historic Defeat”
David Horovitz, editor-in-chief of The Times of Israel, has described a potential agreement between the administration of Donald Trump and the Islamic Republic of Iran as a sign of a “historic defeat” for the recent U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. He warned that if reports about the terms of the agreement are accurate, the outcome of the war would not be the weakening of the Islamic Republic, but rather its renewed strengthening.
At the beginning of his commentary, Horovitz referred to a quote by Niccolò Machiavelli, writing that if a blow is to be struck against a government, it must be so decisive that it leaves no possibility for retaliation. He also recalled that Trump, following his acquittal in the 2020 impeachment case, had reposted a similar statement: “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.”
According to Horovitz, the United States and Israel pursued broad objectives when they launched the February 28 war against the Islamic Republic. These objectives included destroying Iran’s nuclear program, weakening its missile capabilities, ending Tehran’s support for groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and creating conditions that could lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic.
The Times of Israel editor argues that after their initial successes, the United States and Israel became overly confident and underestimated the resilience of the Iranian government. He believes that the strategic planning necessary to ensure the operation’s success was lacking and that there was no clear plan for Iran’s future after the war.
Horovitz identifies the failure to quickly secure control of the Strait of Hormuz as one of Washington’s major mistakes. He writes that the Islamic Republic was able to use the threat of disrupting global energy routes as a tool of pressure, increasing international concern and domestic opposition within the United States.
He further states that pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was one of the main factors driving Trump toward an agreement with Iran. According to Horovitz, Trump’s recent message focused primarily on reopening the strait and made no clear reference to ending Iran’s nuclear program or halting Tehran’s support for proxy groups.
Horovitz described the reported terms of the potential agreement as “humiliating” and “catastrophic,” warning that the release of billions of dollars could help rebuild the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities, strengthen its missile program, and increase support for militant groups.
He also emphasized that there is still no specific agreement regarding the central issue of the war—preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Instead, only promises of further negotiations have been made, a situation that he believes could provide the Islamic Republic with additional opportunities.
The Times of Israel editor went on to note that Israel views the Islamic Republic as a direct and existential threat, whereas many Americans do not share that perspective and are unwilling to bear the heavy human costs of efforts aimed at changing Iran’s government.
In conclusion, Horovitz warned that if military pressure on the Islamic Republic is reduced and its financial resources are released without its nuclear program being halted, Tehran could move more forcefully toward developing nuclear weapons.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
