Over the weekend, Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations made one thing brutally clear: The Islamic Republic will continue to enrich uranium. No hedging, no ambiguity.
Despite a decade of talks, sanctions relief and backdoor negotiations, the regime just admitted what many of us have known all along: They will never stop pursuing nuclear weapons. This should end the fantasy once and for all that the mullahs can be reasoned with.
That's why President Donald Trump's recent decision to take out Iran's nuclear sites was not only justified, it was necessary. It was a long overdue recognition that diplomacy with terrorists is a dead-end road. After months of strategic patience and failed engagement, Trump chose strength. And once again, the world is safer because of it.
This wasn't a decision made in a vacuum. President Trump, along with trusted allies like Steven Witkoff, made an honest attempt to explore diplomatic off-ramps with Tehran. Contrary to the tired narrative that America First means diplomacy last, they extended quiet, sincere offers to avoid military escalation.
But the Iranian regime responded with the same playbook they've used since 1979: lies, stalling tactics and proxy terror.
For too long, Western leaders have been trapped in the delusion that diplomacy can fix everything. John Kerry and the Obama-Biden foreign policy team handed Iran billions in cash and sanctions relief under the JCPOA, and what did we get in return? Enriched uranium, ballistic missile tests, and dead Americans.
The lesson should have been learned years ago. You cannot appease evil. You must confront it.
President Trump understood this. His strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure weren't a reckless act. They were a calculated move rooted in deterrence. He knew what history has shown us repeatedly: The only language the regime in Tehran understands is strength. And that's exactly what he delivered.
Meanwhile, as Trump acted decisively, Israel stood up as well. When the Jewish state faced direct threats from the IRGC and its terror proxies, it launched a bold 12-day war to defend its citizens and send a message to Tehran.
The Trump administration backed Israel without hesitation. No red tape, no mixed messages, no U.N. nonsense. It was a reminder that when America leads with clarity and resolve, our allies are emboldened and our enemies are put on notice.
Compare that to what happened under Biden. For nearly four years, the administration begged Iran to return to the negotiating table. In return, Iran armed the Houthis, directed strikes on American troops, and funneled weapons to Hamas.
Every time Iran escalated, Biden's team sent more diplomats. President Trump, by contrast, sent a warning shot and then followed through.
To those who say this will provoke war, I ask: What do you think we've been in for the last two decades? Iran has been at war with the West since it seized our embassy in 1979. The only thing that's changed is we finally have a president again who's willing to fight back.
Some in the MAGA movement hesitated when it came to dealing with Iran. They feared another endless war. But Trump didn't give them war. He gave them strategy.
No boots on the ground, no regime change, no occupation. Just precision strikes on facilities that pose an existential threat to America and our allies. That's not war-mongering. That's leadership.
President Trump has now done more to slow Iran's nuclear ambitions than any President in modern history. And he's done it without starting a war or compromising American sovereignty.
He proved once again that peace through strength isn't just a slogan. It's a strategy. And it works.
As for diplomacy, it had its shot. Trump gave it a chance. Witkoff gave it a chance. And Iran spat in their faces.
They chose enrichment over peace, terrorism over talks, and annihilation over normalization.
The ayatollahs are not misunderstood nationalists. They are genocidal theocrats who chant "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" because they mean it. You can't reason with that. You can only defeat it.
Let this be a wake-up call to every Western leader still clinging to fantasies of diplomacy with Tehran. If you're still holding out hope for a deal, you're not just naïve. You're complicit.
President Trump pulled the plug on a charade that should have ended years ago. And in doing so, he reminded the world that American strength, not endless diplomacy, is what keeps the peace. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!
Bryan E. Leib is the Managing Director of Henry Public Relations and a Senior Fellow with the Center for Fundamental Rights in Budapest, Hungary. He's on X @BryanLeibFL. Read Bryan E. Leib's Reports — More Here.
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