President Donald J. Trump just did to the Iranian nuclear program what he once said the United States should be prepared to do to the illicit North Korean nuclear program. In the 1990s, Donald Trump said the U.S. would be foolish not to take out North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program if diplomacy failed. President Bill Clinton chose instead the Agreed Framework, which permitted North Korea to maintain a latent nuclear program. Clinton鈥檚 decision paved the way for North Korea to expand its nuclear missile capabilities, and it is today perfecting the technical ability to deliver a nuclear weapon to the United States. That real estate titan and critic of the United States for allowing a rogue nation to go nuclear is now the President of the United States.
Trump tried hardball diplomacy to convince the Iranian regime to peaceably dismantle its nuclear program. Iran remained defiant. Trump had a rare and fleeting opportunity to save Americans and our allies from living under the nuclear shadow of the world鈥檚 most active state sponsor of terrorism. The offensive operation had an unusually low risk due to the Israelis clearing Iranian skies. Trump seized the moment and made the statesman鈥檚 decision that Clinton did not make on North Korea. He gave the order to conduct a precise and overwhelming U.S. airstrike against Fordow and other key sites critical to the illicit nuclear program.
The U.S. would have been wrong to simply 鈥渓et鈥� Israel launch a ground invasion to take out Fordow. Even if that had worked, it would have come at a significant cost in Israeli lives. Israel鈥檚 security and strength reinforce America鈥檚, and not only should the United States ensure Iran is weakened, but it should also do what it can to ensure Israel remains maximally strong. Removing the heart of the Iranian nuclear program at Fordow is in the strategic interest of the United States, and an air campaign using the B-2 stealth bomber and the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) appears to have rendered the deeply buried facility unusable.
Iran has been at war with the U.S. for more than 40 years, beginning when the regime took American hostages. It has since killed American troops and funded terrorist proxies to brutally assault Israel, Arab states, and global shipping. The United States did not start this war, and it is not new.
Moreover, Iran is a key partner in China and Russia鈥檚 efforts to undermine U.S. and allied influence in the Middle East. Degrading Iran鈥檚 significance in the region and removing it as a potential nuclear power weakens China and Russia鈥檚 broader strategy to entangle the United States in Middle Eastern conflicts. Taking out Fordow may enhance deterrence by demonstrating both political will and military capability. The Chinese and Russians fear American bombers鈥攁nd for good reason. The next-generation B-21s will be even better equipped to navigate far more difficult airspaces. This mission may be the easiest of our hard and pressing challenges.
We should be clear that this is not without risk. Iran鈥檚 short- and medium-range ballistic missile arsenal is a persistent threat to U.S. forces and strains our missile defense systems. However, the United States has had time to harden bases through various means, and the Monday Iranian missile attack against a U.S. base in Qatar appears to have been a face-saving measure, mercifully with no casualties.
The concern from online 鈥渞estrainers鈥� or isolationist right-wing influencers in MAGA circles, such as Tucker Carlson, that U.S. involvement would necessarily trigger an escalation spiral is not compelling. Trump has demonstrated鈥攅specially in his first term鈥攈is intent to keep military operations limited, precise, and driven by clear objectives. After Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons, Trump directed an international operation with the French and the UK to strike Syrian military targets related to the illegal chemical weapons program. In response to an Iranian attack that killed an American contractor, Trump also famously green-lit the precision strike against IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. And he was pleased to destroy the ISIS Caliphate鈥攚ith speed. He also directed the elimination of Russian mercenaries threatening coalition forces in Syria.
If Iran merely launches face-saving attacks that are not meant to harm U.S. forces, the United States is unlikely to retaliate further and can rightly call the U.S. offensive operation against Iran an overwhelming victory.
It is still early, but it does appear that President Trump鈥檚 decision has given Americans justice鈥攁nd the entire world something it desperately needs in an increasingly dangerous time: a bit of peace.