The U.S. military and its ally Israel have struck the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Trump administration’s decision to attack followed weeks of waiting and speculation amid the largest military buildup in the Middle East in twenty years. But the strikes themselves were decades in the making.
The Iranian regime had its chance, and now it only has itself to blame for its fate. As President Trump has said on numerous occasions, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism can’t be permitted to have nuclear weapons. He’s right.
Iran was given multiple off-ramps over the years. The regime didn’t take them. Iranian leaders could have invested in their own country and their own people. But to them, their country is a cause, and their people are sacrificial.
US AND ISRAEL LAUNCH ‘PREEMPTIVE’ ATTACK AGAINST IRAN
The Islamic Republic is one of the worst tyrannies the world has ever known. Since taking power in 1979, Iran’s ruling theocrats have exported chaos and upheaval. The regime has destabilized the entire Middle East. Tehran has funded, supported, even wholesale created terrorist groups in support of their objective of vanquishing America, overthrowing key Arab allies, and destroying Israel.
The regime has American blood on its hands. Tehran has murdered and maimed thousands of U.S. troops and is responsible for torturing, kidnapping, and mutilating American citizens.
But its chief victims have always been the Iranian people. On multiple occasions, Iranians have taken to the streets in protest, only to be slaughtered for demanding freedom. The regime brutally supressed a recent uprising, murdering no fewer than 32,000 Iranians according to some estimates. As President Trump noted, it is now up to the Iranian people to step up and take out their oppressors. “This will probably be your only chance for generations,” he said.
Notably, the Iranian threat isn’t confined to the Middle East.
Iranian proxies like Hezbollah have cells in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. They operate in the Western hemisphere, on our borders, even inside America itself. Iran has plotted attacks on U.S. infrastructure, including airports and public gatherings. Tehran has attempted to murder U.S. officials and prominent dissidents. Under the Obama administration, the regime was emboldened enough to try to bomb a Washington D.C. restaurant in a bid to kill a Saudi diplomat. That plot failed, but not for a lack of trying.
The Islamic Republic not only seeks nuclear weapons — it wants the ability to use them against the United States, Europe, and others far from their borders. The regime’s focus on intercontinental ballistic missiles reveals as much. After all, Tehran doesn’t need ICBMs to hit Israel, Saudi Arabia, or other neighboring countries.
IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS BURIED, NOT DEAD
Iran wants ICBMs so it can hold the United States and others hostage. This not only gives Iran leverage, it’s a strategic asset for Iran’s chief allies and benefactors like Moscow and Beijing.
The United States can’t allow Iran to obtain the means for nuclear blackmail.
Yet it could not have been an easy decision. There are no free rides in foreign policy. Few momentous decisions are without potential downsides. And the strikes on Iran are no exception.
For the first time in its history, the United States is facing two nuclear-equipped powers, Russia and China. Both are revisionist and seek to supplant the U.S. and its allies. China is engaged in the largest military buildup in modern history. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for his military to be ready to invade Taiwan in 2027, and is clearly preparing them to do precisely that.
America is on its back foot, with a depleted defense industrial base. Should a war with China occur, some studies show the U.S. running out of key munitions within weeks or less. Some of those arms are being expended now, not against a powerhouse like Beijing but against its regional proxy, Tehran. This is not only cause for concern, it is a potential opportunity for the Chinese Communist Party.
But events have forced America’s hand. China knows how useful its ally is. Some reports indicate that China was close to selling Iran advanced anti-ship missiles, potentially deterring or raising the stakes of a U.S. attack. This could have kept Iran on its path to obtain nuclear weapons. And it is in keeping with China’s longstanding policy of using Iran as its chief regional foil, supplying the mullahs with drones, surveillance tech, advanced weapons, and key material for their missiles. China has helped keep the Iranian regime afloat, just as it has been fueling Russia’s war on Ukraine.
CONGRESS SPLIT ON TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES
Henry Kissinger famously said that statesmen face “agonizing choices” with decisions that often aren’t “black and white” but “between two shades of grey.” The decision to strike Iran, while not without risk, is the right one. The world’s leading state sponsor of terror cannot be allowed to go nuclear. Other American presidents have said as much, but Trump clearly means it.
The strikes on Iran send a message to other foes, from Moscow to Beijing and beyond. American words are backed by American resolve.
