From its inception in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long engaged in open hostility and violence toward the United States and Israel and has been a malign source of chaos and disorder across the Arab world.
On Feb. 28, America said “enough is enough.” With the daylight launch of Operation Epic Fury, our country initiated hostilities against the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, but America did not start this war. After 47 years of terrorism and bloodshed, the armed forces of the United States and our ally Israel have combined overwhelming military force to end it.
As Operation Epic Fury unfolds, there is much credit to go around. But first, President Donald Trump should be commended for taking decisive action to end decades of violence against American soldiers, our bases in the region and our cherished ally Israel. His willingness to strike at precisely the moment when the ayatollah and some 40 senior Iranian officials and commanders were assembled and most vulnerable was a master stroke.
And the president’s willingness to ignore the growing voices of isolationism echoing from the fringes of Republican ranks, unleashing the most powerful military in the world, not just in this time, but last year in Operation Midnight Hammer, striking a devastating blow to Iran’s nuclear program, was deeply admirable.
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Of course, the most credit goes to the men and women of America’s armed forces serving at this very hour in harm’s way. From the outset of hostilities, American service members deployed in Operation Epic Fury have performed with the utmost courage and professionalism. They deserve the admiration of every American and should remain daily in our prayers.
Thanks to coordinated efforts of the American, Israeli and Gulf nations’ militaries, the Iranian military has already been seriously degraded, its leadership scattered or killed and its ability to project force both inside and outside the region neutered. Today, the Iranian navy sits at the bottom of the ocean, air superiority has been established over the skies of Iran and their capacity to launch missiles and wreak mayhem across the Middle East has been dramatically diminished.
While partisans on the progressive left and the isolationist right have been quick to question the president’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, I believe that two historic objectives are finally within reach as a result of the courage of our military and our commander in chief’s decisive leadership.
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First, the punishing air campaign against the security infrastructure and ballistic missiles of the Iranian regime could well put regime change within reach. Within days or weeks, the Iranian regime may be incapable of projecting force even against its own people, thereby allowing the long-suffering Iranian people the chance to rise up and retake their freedom, making America, Israel and the world more secure.
Second, Operation Epic Fury has the potential to reestablish the deterrence squandered by President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Weakness arouses evil. It’s no secret that America’s weakness on the world stage under the Biden administration set the stage for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and for Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on October 7th, financed and approved by the mullahs in Tehran.
With nearly flawless execution of Operation Epic Fury, our armed forces have sent a deafening message of America’s military might echoing across the Arab World and in the halls of power in Moscow and Beijing. As Putin continues to wage his merciless war against Ukraine and China’s President Xi Jinping and the People’s Liberation Army continue to menace Taiwan, the overwhelming force displayed by the combined forces of the United States could well give them pause concerning plans for future military aggression.
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America’s objective is not conquest; it never has been. It is the safety and security of the American people, our allies and a region that has endured decades of violence at the hands of the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
Across the Arab world, there has been a growing recognition that the mullahs are not merely wayward brothers, but foes and a serious threat that must be addressed. A free and liberated Iran creates an opportunity to restore balance across the region and strengthen cooperation among nations that share an interest in peace and prosperity, not sowing regional anarchy. The Abraham Accords may have just been the beginning of a new era of peace and cooperation across the Arab world.
America is at war and history teaches that such moments require resolve. After the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, the United States chose not to finish the job and confront an Iraqi regime that had thrust the region into chaos. Within a decade, American forces returned.
Today, the United States is taking action to cut out the heart of terrorism in the Middle East. With the courage of our armed forces and sustained leadership from Washington, Tel Aviv and our growing list of regional allies, the ability of the Iranian regime to threaten its neighbors and oppress its people can be permanently degraded if not destroyed. But America must see this fight through.
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To end the threat of the Iranian regime and restore America’s credibility as the arsenal of democracy and the leader of the free world, America must finish this fight once and for all.
None of this will come without sacrifice and Operation Epic Fury has already claimed the last full measure of devotion from seven brave Americans. As a parent and in-law of active duty service members, we know the pride but not the heartache of the families of our heroic fallen. Every American should carry these precious families in our prayers and assure them that their loved one’s names will be enshrined in the hearts of a grateful nation forever.
For 47 years, the tyrants of Iran have waged a campaign of terror against the United States, Israel and the aspirations of the Iranian people. Bringing that era to a close will not only strengthen American security but will also open the door to a future in which the people of Iran are finally free to reclaim the promise of their proud and ancient nation from the grip of tyranny.
And that would be a victory not only for America, but for the cause of liberty itself.
