Mission accomplished?
Trump shows America won't tolerate threat
President Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear capability is a turning point in modern foreign policy — one that will keep the United States, the American people and Americans abroad safe for years. It sends a signal to our adversaries: America will not tolerate the threat of nuclear-armed rogue states. Trump's decision was bold and consistent with his "America first" outlook.
The Western world widely agrees that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons. Iran is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and thousands of others worldwide. Iranian leadership has called for "death to America" and the destruction of Israel.
Iran has sponsored terrorist attacks and assassination attempts on four continents and in the United States. It may have helped plan Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities in Israel, in which 1,000 Israelis were killed and American citizens were taken hostage.
This is a regime that thrives on violence and destabilization, undergirded by martyrdom in the cause of jihad. Iran's nuclear ambitions are the logical next step.
Every U.S. president since Bill Clinton has agreed in principle that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon. But they haven't all shown the same resolve.
President Barack Obama's nuclear deal gave significant concessions in exchange for minimal limitations on Iran's nuclear program. He even sent them $1.3 billion in cash to sweeten the deal.
Not to be outdone, President Joe Biden released $6 billion to Iran in September 2023 as part of a prisoner swap. The administration claimed the money was only for humanitarian use. But money is fungible, and the American people aren't that gullible.
Trump's "America first" foreign policy has always made room for denying the mullahs nuclear weapons. It would be negligent to shrug off a threat to the homeland. Even before Iran could develop intercontinental missile technology, "dirty bombs" or "suitcase nukes" could wreak destruction on a U.S. city.
Consider the trouble Iran causes without a nuke, and then imagine a world vulnerable to Iranian nuclear blackmail. The mutually assured destruction that has maintained stability between nuclear-armed powers since the 1950s may not hold sway over a regime that welcomes martyrdom.
From his first day on the 2016 campaign trail, Trump has said Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. His strategy unfolded in several phases:
â– Withdrawing from Obama's Iran deal in 2018.
â– Reimposing crippling economic sanctions.
â– Designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
â– Eliminating terror mastermind Qassem Soleimani.
â– Negotiating the Abraham Accords, which brought historic diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and Arab nations.
Trump issued a final 60-day deadline in April for Iran to abandon its nuclear program. Iran didn't comply, so the United States moved to destroy its nuclear facilities. This decisive action will reshape global perceptions of American leadership and deterrence.
Iran's token "retaliation" against an American base was ineffectual, and it has agreed to a ceasefire with Israel — a testament to the effectiveness of the administration's strength-based diplomacy.
The era of red lines with no consequences is over. "Peace through strength" is more than a slogan — it is a proven doctrine for ensuring American national security. This is the right path forward for the safety of the American people and a powerful reaffirmation that Trump is willing to act to put "America first."
Fitzpatrick is the director of the Center to Advance Security in America. He wrote this for .
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