Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
President Trump may have just made the worst possible deal with Iran.
So why defend it? Invoking Winston Churchill's famous observation that democracy is "the worst form of government except for all the others," Michael Smerconish argues that Trump's Iran deal may be the least bad option available.
The real mistake is not how this war is ending. The real mistake is that it ever began.
Once the conflict started, the United States faced a difficult reality: no clear path to victory, no public appetite for a prolonged war, and no support for a large-scale ground invasion. The result was an imperfect agreement that satisfies almost no one—but may have been preferable to the alternatives. The memorandum ends active hostilities, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, and creates a 60-day window for broader negotiations.
Michael examines whether critics of the deal have answered the most important question of all:
What would they have done instead?
Featuring analysis from Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, and David Sanger of The New York Times.
Do you agree or disagree?
Trump's Iran deal is the worst outcome except for all the others.
President Trump may have just made the worst possible deal with Iran.
So why defend it? Invoking Winston Churchill's famous observation that democracy is "the worst form of government except for all the others," Michael Smerconish argues that Trump's Iran deal may be the least bad option available.
The real mistake is not how this war is ending. The real mistake is that it ever began.
Once the conflict started, the United States faced a difficult reality: no clear path to victory, no public appetite for a prolonged war, and no support for a large-scale ground invasion. The result was an imperfect agreement that satisfies almost no one—but may have been preferable to the alternatives. The memorandum ends active hostilities, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, and creates a 60-day window for broader negotiations.
Michael examines whether critics of the deal have answered the most important question of all:
What would they have done instead?
Featuring analysis from Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, and David Sanger of The New York Times.
Do you agree or disagree?
Trump's Iran deal is the worst outcome except for all the others.
