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In the realpolitik of international diplomacy, it's sometimes necessary to dance with the devil by enlisting the support of an otherwise unsavoury regime in the fight against a more pressing foe.
But for all its short-term appeal, there are risks with this form of moral compromise. Give too much to the wrong people, and an even greater evil may emerge.
The US arming of the Mujahideen in its fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during the Cold War is a cautionary tale of what can go wrong.
Those Mujahideen guerillas eventually morphed into the Taliban, who would go on to rout US and UK forces and plunge their country into a new dark age of oppression.
It's easy to see the immediate advantage for Donald Trump in temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian oil - a deal believed to have been struck during an hour-long phone call with Vladimir Putin.
Iranian attacks on shipping along the critical route through the Strait of Hormuz have seen the price of crude soar.
Allowing the free sale of Russian oil, which accounts for around 12 per cent of the global supply and doesn't need to use the strait, should curb rising prices at American gasoline pumps.
But those sanctions were imposed for a reason - as punishment for Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine. What message does their removal send out to beleaguered Ukrainian families, who are still being bombed daily?
Russian oil provides approximately 12 per cent of the global supply and doesn't need to use the Strait of Hormuz
The US Treasury Department issued a 30-day temporary waiver that allows for the purchase of Russian oil currently stranded at sea
Putin has already benefited hugely from the oil price spike. He will now cash in even more, enabling him to keep feeding his bloody war machine, which had been running low on funds.
He also has a huge incentive to shore up the brutal Iranian regime and encourage the mullahs to continue their raids on the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia is already the chief supplier of weaponry to Tehran. Putin may now be bold enough - and rich enough - to provide yet more.
This lifting of sanctions is meant to last for just a month. However tempting it may be for Mr Trump to extend it for domestic political reasons, he must resist.
Further enriching and empowering Putin will not only lead directly to more Ukraine deaths, but also undermine Western democracy, embolden Iran's despots and make the whole world more perilous.
Vladimir Putin is not the only one making money from the Iran conflict. The UK Treasury is also doing nicely out of it.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called in fuel industry bosses yesterday to tell them pump prices were being closely monitored during the oil crisis and warn that any attempt at profiteering would not be tolerated.
However, their message might have carried more weight had the Government itself not been making a handsome profit as a result of the war.
A new study suggests the Chancellor is netting an extra £91million a month in VAT on increased petrol and diesel sales - equivalent to more than £1billion a year.
Before lecturing others, she should ensure that this money is given back to consumers, possibly by promising to extend the fuel duty freeze beyond September.
With figures yesterday showing UK growth has ground to a halt, it would be a timely shot in the arm for an ailing economy.
If she doesn't redistribute her new-found windfall, won't she be guilty of profiteering on the back of war?
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