President Trump Is Enforcing His Red Lines With Iran: Now Comes the Hard Part

Operation Epic Fury is just, righteous, and already delivering dividends to American security. Unlike past Administrations, President Trump drew clear lines with the Islamic Republic on nuclear proliferation, the mass execution of Iranian civilians, and continued support for global terrorism – and actually enforced them. In doing so, he has taken another major step toward rebuilding the credibility of American deterrence; and with the successful strike on Ayatollah Khamenei, he has taken out one of the world’s great monsters and the chief tormentor of the Iranian people.

Now comes the hard part: finishing the job and creating the conditions for the Iranian people to take back control of their country.

The fact is, America will never be safe as long as this fundamentalist, anti-American dictatorship remains in power. President Trump understands this, which is why he has called on the Iranian people to take advantage of this unique chance to take back their country: “The hour of your freedom is at hand. . . . For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. . . . Now, you have a president who is giving you what you want.”

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Supporting a democratic transition in Iran isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s our best hope of a future Iranian state that embraces peace and prosperity instead of unceasing terror. We have nearly five decades of experience to confirm that the Islamic Republic is an entirely irredeemable governing entity. Terrorism and vicious hatred of America, Israel, and the West are part of its DNA, and its fundamentalist vision is incompatible with peaceful coexistence with the civilized world. America – and the world – will never be safe if this regime survives in any form.

For those who recoil at the mention of “regime change,” let’s be clear: The Iranian regime isn’t just any dictatorship. The Islamic Republic declared itself America’s enemy on Day 1 and has acted accordingly for the past 47 years. From the Americans taken hostage in the earliest days of the Islamic Revolution; to the years of funding and orchestrating terrorist attacks against American civilians and military personnel; to the weekly chants of “Death to America”; to the proxy forces wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East; to partnering with our adversaries to undermine us in every theater – the Islamic Republic has been a consistent, highly dangerous enemy of the United States, and to all who desire peace in the Middle East.

There can be no resolution to this problem until this regime is gone for good. Make no mistake – the U.S. cannot replace the government of Iran; only the people can do that. But we can make the regime’s destruction a nonnegotiable war aim, and help to create the space for Iran’s organized democratic opposition to come to the fore and form a new government.

None of this will be easy. But thankfully, the Iranian people have made their preference abundantly clear in repeated waves of resistance stretching back to the beginnings of the Islamic Republic. They have seen the destruction wrought by nearly five decades of theocratic rule, and have had enough. They want a republic that is free, democratic, and accountable to the citizenry, and to return to the community of nations as a peaceful and prosperous partner.

The benefits of such a shift would be truly historic: Terrorists would lose their primary sponsor; America’s adversaries would lose a key outpost; incredible economic opportunities would develop; and the highly educated Iranian population could emerge as a natural partner for the United States.

We’ve taken the first step toward a future that seemed close to impossible just a few years ago. But we can’t resolve this problem if we don’t finish the job. May God bless our brave servicemen risking their lives to protect our nation and make the world a better place, and may He grant the long-suffering people of Iran the courage to embrace this chance for freedom.

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