By : Ya Libnan Editor
History has a way of repeating itself — especially when lessons go unlearned. Today, with Donald Trump back in the White House for his second term, Iran is once again extending what appears to be a tempting offer: trillions of dollars in nuclear reactor deals, promising economic relief at a time when the administration is eager to boost recovery after years of global instability and tariff-driven disruptions. But before rushing into any agreement, Trump would do well to remember the fate of two of his predecessors who fell into similar traps — Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
In 1978, amid Iran’s revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini assured President Carter that a new Islamic Republic would be a friendly ally to the United States. Carter, trusting the promise, advised the Shah not to allow Iran’s powerful military to crush the revolutionary movement. The Shah fled. Khomeini returned to Tehran in triumph — not as a partner to the West, but as its fiercest enemy in the region. His regime quickly declared America “the Great Satan,” seized the U.S. embassy, and took American diplomats hostage for 444 days. Carter’s trust was repaid with humiliation and a permanent rupture in U.S.-Iran relations.
Decades later, President Obama extended an olive branch to Iran through the 2015 nuclear deal. In exchange for billions in unfrozen assets, Iran agreed to scale back its uranium enrichment and allow international inspections. Yet Iran never truly stopped. Today, it is reported to possess enough enriched uranium to produce at least three nuclear bombs — a glaring betrayal of the deal’s spirit and a direct threat to regional stability.
Now, Trump may be poised to repeat the same mistakes. Iran, understanding his desire to revitalize the American economy, is dangling lucrative nuclear energy deals — while quietly positioning itself to do business with China and Russia, not the United States. If Trump unfreezes Iran’s assets or eases sanctions in return for vague promises, history shows what will follow: Iran will take the money, finalize deals with its authoritarian allies, and accelerate its ambitions unchecked.
This is not diplomacy. It’s a dangerous pattern of deception — and it must stop.
Iran is not just a threat to American interests — it is one of the most destabilizing forces in the Middle East and a direct threat to every U.S. ally in the region, from Israel to Saudi Arabia to Iraq, Lebanon, the Gulf states and Yemen. Empowering the current regime would be a monumental mistake. This is not a nation governed by democratic values or transparent institutions. If Iran were run by a truly democratic regime — one accountable to its people and respectful of international norms — the story would be entirely different.
But the Iran of today is a theocracy, led by hardliners who use terror, proxies, and chaos to expand influence and crush dissent.
Trump must not be fooled. Carter was burned. Obama was misled. The consequences of trusting Tehran have been catastrophic each time. If Iran truly wants peace and partnership, let it first prove it through verifiable actions — not empty words, not secret deals, and certainly not through promises of economic gain.
This is a warning.