Entering their fifth day, Israel’s sustained and extraordinary operations against Iran have demonstrated remarkable strategic precision and military effectiveness. Complete air superiority was quickly established, allowing Israel to freely target Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including reported strikes on centrifuge halls at Natanz and uranium conversion facilities at Fordow, disrupting enrichment capacity and neutralizing key military leadership. In response, Iran’s estimated salvo of 370 ballistic missiles as of this writing launched from western Iran saw a majority intercepted by Israel’s Arrow and David’s Sling systems, with U.S. naval assets providing critical support. While most missiles have been neutralized, several have penetrated, resulting thus far in approximately two dozen Israeli fatalities. The dramatic events unfolding since Thursday mark a potentially transformative moment for regional and global strategic dynamics. Given these developments and the stakes involved, the United States should decisively join Israeli operations to ensure the complete, swift destruction of the Iranian nuclear program.
If there is ever an opportunity for the United States to decisively shape the outcome of a critical regional conflict – one with direct and immediate implications for American security and strategic interests, as well as those of its key allies – it is an absolute strategic obligation to seize it. Hesitation, ambiguity, or delay is unacceptable policy. This is, above all, about securing U.S. national security and vital interests. Any hesitation now would represent not caution, but dangerous irresponsibility. In this regard, President Trump’s clear and decisive statements stand out sharply, a necessary contrast to the pattern of hesitation and self-defeating strategic incoherence coming out of other countries.
To fully grasp why immediate action is strategically imperative, we must clearly establish both motive and opportunity. First, preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is an absolute and paramount American national security interest. Iran is an openly hostile regime – a declared enemy of the United States – which has actively targeted American soldiers, citizens, and interests for decades. Tehran’s sponsorship of terrorism has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Americans, from Beirut to Baghdad, and its militias continue to threaten U.S. personnel and allies across the region, not to mention a decade of destabilization, proxy warfare, and ruthless terrorism across the Middle East. Allowing such a regime to acquire nuclear weapons would represent an unprecedented and intolerable strategic failure. Eliminating Iran’s nuclear capabilities now is thus not only justified but essential for protecting American lives, deterring further aggression, and decisively neutralizing a persistent enemy committed to harming the United States and its allies.
Beyond its direct hostility, a nuclear-armed Iran would unleash catastrophic regional consequences. Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons would trigger immediate nuclear proliferation across the Middle East, compelling Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and others to urgently seek their own nuclear arsenals. Such rapid proliferation would irreversibly destabilize the region, heighten the risks of nuclear confrontation, empower terrorist proxies, and severely restrict U.S. strategic freedom of action. Immediate action by Israel and the United States preempts this catastrophic scenario, preserving regional stability and safeguarding vital American interests.
Second, from a broader strategic perspective, Iran is unquestionably the weakest link in the global axis of anti-American disruption, which includes our most bitter rivals, China and Russia. Tehran lacks the economic resources, technological sophistication, and great-power protection enjoyed by Moscow or Beijing. With Russia distracted by Ukraine and China unwilling to get directly involved, Iran lacks the robust backing of its anti-American allies, creating a rare window for decisive action. Striking decisively now, when Iran is isolated, weakened, and militarily vulnerable, would deliver a significant blow not only to Iranian ambitions but also to the broader anti-American axis. Eliminating the weakest component at this pivotal moment disrupts their collective momentum, severely limits their strategic options, and restores American superiority.
Decisive U.S. involvement would also send an unmistakable signal to China. Beijing closely watches American actions, measuring U.S. resolve and decisiveness in critical geopolitical tests. By swiftly dismantling Iran’s nuclear capability and regional ambitions, the United States clearly demonstrates that it retains both the ability and the will to intervene strategically when its and its allies’ vital interests are at stake. Such clarity would directly limit Beijing’s capacity for strategic interference or opportunism, recalibrating China’s expectations about American resolve. Thus, decisive American action against Iran is not just about containing Tehran; it is also about reaffirming Washington’s position and strategic credibility globally.
Third, American action alongside Israel would immediately reinforce critical U.S. alliances and ensure long-term regional stability, safeguarding vital economic interests. The Gulf region remains one of the wealthiest and most strategically significant areas in the world; its stability directly impacts global energy markets, international trade routes, and the broader global economy. Iranian aggression or regional destabilization threatens these core American interests profoundly. By actively joining Israeli operations, the United States unequivocally demonstrates its commitment to its regional allies, strengthening these partnerships at a pivotal moment. Simultaneously, neutralizing Iran’s ambitions provides durable economic stability, securing American strategic leverage and economic interests in a region of paramount national importance.
Fourth, decisive American action now would dramatically restore U.S. regional and global credibility at a critical juncture. The past several years have been marked by American hesitation, confusion, strategic uncertainty, and weakness, exacerbated by global unrest, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the major failure of liberal institutions in Western states. From the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel – not to mention four years of effectively open U.S. borders – the perception of American resolve has been seriously undermined. The ongoing Israeli operations offer the United States a golden opportunity, with manageable cost and exceptionally high prospects for success, given Israel’s substantial initial accomplishments, to reverse this damaging posture. By swiftly joining and completing the strategic destruction of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the United States would decisively reaffirm its power, determination, and leadership, re-establishing vital deterrence at precisely the moment it matters most. Despite potential Iranian counterstrikes, the strategic necessity outweighs short-term costs.
This is a decisive hour. Israel will achieve its objectives regardless of the cost. For Israel, the stakes are existential, and it will not relent or compromise. Yet it is firmly in America’s interest to ensure that our most important ally emerges swiftly, decisively, and with unquestionable superiority, having absorbed the minimal possible cost. This does not mean another Iraq, nor does it require regime change; rather, it calls for a precise, limited military operation explicitly focused on fully eliminating Iran’s nuclear program and any remaining military capabilities. Such clarity now ensures lasting regional stability, reaffirms American leadership, and sustains the strength of our closest strategic partner. Now is the moment to restore American strength and leadership.
