Iran recently launched cruise missiles, drones, and armed boats at American naval vessels escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military destroyed six Iranian boats in response, and President Donald Trump warned Tehran that its forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they target American ships again. 

The message was unmistakable: The United States is prepared to resume full-scale military strikes against Iran. In that warning, Trump demonstrated that he is the first American president who understands how to deal with the fanatical, theocratic regime in Tehran.