In addition to being a turning point in his political career, President Trump’s decision to launch attacks on Iran’s three most crucial nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—is also a turning point for international peace and security.
There should be no question that Operation Midnight Hammer was the right choice, even though it will take days or weeks to ascertain how long these strikes will delay Iran’s nuclear aspirations.
This is even more accurate if Iran’s entire reply amounts to a performative missile bombardment against American sites in Qatar and Iraq, which Iran allegedly forewarned the United States about in advance to prevent casualties.
Indeed, eliminating the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons should be viewed as a first step toward enhancing the national security of the United States, not only that of Israel or our other regional friends.
Indeed, the Iranian dictatorship has been the leading cause of instability in the Middle East and the largest supporter of terrorism in the world for almost 50 years. It is also accountable for the deaths and injuries of thousands of American soldiers.
Terrorists worldwide would have been free to operate under Iran’s nuclear umbrella if Trump had permitted that rogue regime to create the most deadly weapon in human history, and Tehran would have most likely used the bomb against the United States or its allies.
Trump accomplished this by reestablishing American deterrence, reaffirming his own red lines, and demonstrating his willingness to take on a challenge that several American presidents have completely failed to handle.
Similar to this, there are genuine chances for a more peaceful Middle East now that American and Israeli airstrikes have destroyed a large portion of Iran’s military and nuclear installations and its terrorist proxies are already in ruins.
Without the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, moderate Arab nations can now build on the Abraham Accords and create a more affluent region.
Although it is neither Trump’s nor Israel’s stated objective, it is feasible that this may lead to the establishment of a new government in Tehran that is interested in making a constructive contribution to the Middle East’s future.
The Russia-Iran-China-North Korea axis of evil has also been severely damaged by Trump and Israel. Despite the terrible blows to the government, none of Iran’s alleged allies have provided more than verbal assistance.
Trump’s Churchill moment, where he must choose whether to use force to make the world a safer place in the end, was evidently the Iranian issue.
Trump had to defeat his critics in the process, including more and more members of his own party.
Reps. Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Tucker Carlson, representing the GOP’s small but outspoken isolationist faction, voiced their displeasure with the strikes, claiming they were inconsistent with an America First agenda.
The isolationists are obviously mistaken.
The Iranian regime’s hands are smeared with American blood, starting with the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, where regime supporters kept 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days, and continuing through Iranian-sponsored attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
Furthermore, history has demonstrated that despotic governments frequently fill the hole left by America’s retreat behind its two ocean walls, ultimately posing a threat to the country.
In other words, when those who want to overthrow the current order are aware of America’s deterrence factor, global peace and security are significantly improved.
In addition to being the right political choice, Trump’s choice is also the right one on moral, security, and geopolitical grounds because the American people recognize the seriousness of the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran.
More than eight out of ten (83%) Americans think it is critical to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons, according to a recent survey conducted by my company, Schoen Cooperman Research, on behalf of the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC).
Almost the same 82% of Americans believe that Iran’s nuclear weapons represent a major threat to American national security.
Public polling supports these conclusions as well.
According to an Insider Advantage study, over three-quarters (74%) of Americans support Trump’s stance that Iran must be kept from obtaining nuclear weapons by all means necessary.
Similarly, according to J.L. partners and the New York Post poll, two-thirds (65%) of self-described MAGA Republicans support U.S. strikes on Iran, highlighting how out of step Massie, Greene, and Carlson are with the GOP mainstream.
As expected, the political left has strongly opposed Trump’s choice. Some have even said that this is grounds for impeachment, including progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes.
The fact that many of these same voices were silent during the lengthy military campaigns that previous Presidents Obama and Biden conducted without Congressional approval but are now furious is instructive.
The reaction from the Obama and Biden administrations’ foreign policy establishment, particularly Ben Rhodes, is the most ironic of all.
Apparently unaware that Obama’s complete failure to handle the issue was the main reason the U.S. needed to attack Iran, Rhodes, a former Obama Deputy National Security Advisor, criticized Trump’s strikes for putting the world in danger.
This is not to minimize the risks of Iran’s probable reprisal, to be clear. The Iranian retaliation is targeting some 40,000 American troops in the Gulf, and it’s likely that it goes beyond a show of force directed at Iraq and Qatar.
Additionally, there are rumors that Iran might trigger terrorists’ dormant cells worldwide.
However, such risks, along with the fundamental characteristics of the Iranian government, highlight the necessity of these operations.
A state that is committed to destroying the United States and has funded and established terrorist cells across American cities poses a threat, but if that regime possesses nuclear weapons, it poses an existential threat.
Indeed, Trump’s actions could come at a great cost. However, the price of doing nothing and permitting a radical Islamic dictatorship to marry nuclear weapons would be much higher.
In the end, President Trump merits a great deal of praise. Regardless of one’s opinion of him or some of his policies, his decision to make the world a safer place for the time being at least deserves praise.
Douglas Schoen has been a political strategist for Democrats for a long time. At Schoen Cooperman Research, Saul Mangel serves as a vice president.
