When, in 1991, former President George HW Bush decided to halt the advance of US troops towards Baghdad, he made one of the biggest mistakes of US foreign policy. A mistake completed in 2021 by leaving the .
The president set the primary goal from the start: the complete and permanent destruction of the theocratic regime in Tehran, its ballistic missiles and its nuclear program.
“Clear, colossal threat”
The international community is asking: first, is it a justifiable war? Second, was the US right to launch him?
The second is answered by Mr. Trump himself who said the regime posed a “clear, colossal threat” because of its ballistic missile programs. He called it an “unbearable threat to the Middle East” and to “the American people.” Ergo, he is justified.
The Wall Street Journal points out “… . And maybe it can be weakened enough that its people muster the ability to install a government that wants to be a normal nation again, instead of one that seeks to spread revolution and kill Jews, Sunni Arabs and Americans.”
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth put it more bluntly: “Our aspirations are not utopian. They are realistic, limited to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies. This is not Iraq. This is not endless…it’s the opposite. This operation has a clear, devastating, decisive mission: destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, not nation-building.”
The cynical and simple target
There is no room here for funds to rebuild a failed-state Iran or install a puppet leadership.
The goal is cynical but also very simple: Destroy the threat once and for all. Extermination of the mullahs.
The U.S. A/GEF spoke of US capabilities: “After 57 hours of operations in the initial phase, CENTCOM’s focus has been to systematically target Iranian command and control, infrastructure, naval forces, ballistic missile sites and intelligence infrastructure – designed to stun and confuse them.”
He continued: “Operation Epic Fury is a reminder of what the United States military uniquely delivers: the ability to project power on a global scale with speed, surprise, precision and overwhelming force when and where our nation requires it. What we have demonstrated in recent days reflects years of investment in readiness, cross-industry integration and.
In other words, the message was received by the would-be “rulers”. The US is back, militarily.
And President Trump’s central political message could not be clearer: “To the great and proud people of Iran, I say tonight that your time for freedom is at hand. … Now is the time to take control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future that lies close, within your reach. This is the time for action. Don’t let her get lost.”
It is up to the US military to lend that helping hand.
