Let’s be honest.
The Iran deal being discussed looks terrible.
An Islamic regime that has brutalized its own people, funded terrorism across the region, and crushed dissent through the massacring of tens of thousands of protestors is now potentially being handed a lifeline. Reports indicate that enormous sums of money could flow back into Iran to the tune of $300 billion dollars. The regime remains intact. The ayatollahs remain in power. And the world is once again being asked to trust promises from a government with a long history of breaking them.
Many people are furious. Many people are scared. Many people are panicking.
I understand why.
If you’ve watched Iran’s regime kill protesters, imprison dissidents, fund proxy wars, threaten Israel, and pursue nuclear capabilities for decades, it is hard to see any agreement as anything but complete and total surrender.
But before we condemn President Trump, we need to understand the position he is in.
President Trump is the President of the United States.
He is not the President of Israel.
He is not the President of the United Nations.
His first obligation is to the American people.
Many of us believe the best outcome for the world would be the complete collapse of the Iranian regime. But achieving that outcome comes with costs, and those costs would not be paid by politicians. They would be paid by ordinary families.
Energy markets are already under tremendous pressure. Analysts have warned that a prolonged regional war could send oil prices soaring and create severe disruptions throughout the global economy. Some projections have suggested fuel prices could reach levels Americans have never experienced before. Others have warned about potential shortages and rationing scenarios if the conflict expands significantly.
Imagine what that means for working families. Imagine what that means for truck drivers, small businesses, single mothers, retirees, and people already struggling to make ends meet.
A good president has to weigh all of that.
Does that make this a good deal? No. Absolutely not. Catastrophically no. I think it is an insanely dangerous deal. I think the Iranian regime will continue pursuing its terrorist geared ambitions. I think the regime will continue being the regime we’ve seen. I think Israel will continue facing threats.
But I also understand why an American president might choose economic stability over a wider regional war.
And this is where my faith comes in.
As an Orthodox Jewish woman, I do not believe Israel’s future depends solely on Washington, Doha, or the United Nations. The Jewish people have survived empires. We have survived kings. We have survived dictators. We have survived every generation that believed it could erase us.
G-D made a promise to Israel. That promise was not made by politicians. That promise was not made by diplomats. That promise was made by the Creator of the world. My concern today is not whether Israel will survive.
Israel will survive.
My concern is whether America remembers who its friends are. Because there is another lesson in the Torah:
“I will bless those who bless you.”
The question facing all of us is simple. Will we stand with Israel? Will we support the world’s only Jewish state when it faces existential threats? Will we have the courage to do what is right even when it is inconvenient?
History is watching.
And so is G-D.
Anna Steinberg is an Orthodox Jewish wife, mother, community builder, and Soviet-born immigrant. She writes about faith, resilience, Israel, Jewish identity, motherhood, and the sacred work of building connection, truth, and human dignity across communities in fractured times.