Trump hesitated and lost the Iranian street — but the revolution doesn’t need him

Published September 21, 2026 7:00am ET | Updated September 21, 2026 8:10am ET



If history were to judge President Donald Trump’s Iran policy mercilessly, perhaps three points could be awarded to him: Killing Qassem Soleimani, killing Ali Khamenei, and humiliating the Iranian regime. He was able to add the killing of two Islamic terrorists to his record, in addition to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In American history, the medal of honor for taking serious action against Islamic terrorism should perhaps go first to George W. Bush, who placed the Islamic Republic within the “Axis of Evil.” Yet that same White House would later host a guest with an astonishing fondness for taking commemorative photographs with Islamic terrorists — a man consumed by the desire to strike a deal with the Shiite mullahs.

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