News blog about US politics
Ex-US diplomat calls Iran deal “strategic fiasco”
Updated June 17, 2026 – 10:53 p.mReading time: 5 minutes
Trump’s Iran deal is coming under massive criticism. The Chancellor demands access to American AI models. All developments in the news blog.
US stock markets close in the red after interest rate decision
The US stock markets closed in the red on Wednesday following the Fed’s interest rate decision. The US standard value index Dow Jones lost 1.0 percent to 51,493 points. The technology-heavy Nasdaq fell 1.3 percent to 26,022 points and the broad S&P 500 lost 1.2 percent to 7,420 points.
Before the decision, the indices were still positive or stagnating. As expected, the Fed left the key interest rate in the range of 3.50 to 3.75 percent. However, the monetary authorities signaled future interest rate increases to combat inflation. They also removed language from their statement that said interest rate cuts were likely this year. Nine central bankers expect at least one interest rate increase by the end of 2026.
Ex-US diplomat calls Iran deal “strategic fiasco”
A senior former US State Department official has described his country’s framework agreement with Iran as a “strategic fiasco of epic proportions.” The agreement, which is to be signed on Friday in Switzerland, means “a break with almost fifty years of bipartisan US policy towards Iran,” Joel Rubin told the TV channel i24news. Rubin was a State Department employee during the administration of then US President Barack Obama.
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The framework agreement means an end to the “idea that Iran is a negative actor in the region.” Rubin warned of a scenario in which “hundreds of billions of dollars could now be handed over to Tehran without any restrictions.” Rubin said they were apparently hoping for “some kind of better agreement in the next 60 days, after Iran has already been paid and has already received the benefits and concessions of the agreement” without committing to anything serious in return.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also advocated for a tougher line towards Tehran with US President Donald Trump in the past. In 2018, he encouraged the highly controversial decision to withdraw from the international nuclear deal with Iran. Looking back, Israeli security experts also classify this step as a strategic mistake.
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