Anything Less Than This Will Mean A Defeat For Trump In The Iran War

The joint U.S.-Israel campaign against the murderous gang that’s oppressing Iran must not cease until its gruesome regime has been ended. Anything less would be a huge defeat for President Trump, the U.S. and the Free World. President Trump’s statement that the campaign may last several weeks and that he hasn’t ruled out sending in ground forces testifies to his determination.

The goal of obliterating the reign of these murdering mullahs means relentlessly pounding all sources of their power, which would include bombing Kharg Island, the chief terminal for exporting Iranian oil to China. All of Iran’s other facilities for the development and manufacturing of drones, ballistic missiles and nuclear assets that weren’t hit during last year’s 12-day June war must be reduced to rubble.

For the regime, survival would be a victory. Anything less than its downfall would be a defeat for the civilized world, as Iran’s fanatical Islamist revolutionary goals could be pursued again. After World War I, Germany found ways to begin rearming even though it was barred from doing so by the Treaty of Versailles. The mullahs would similarly pursue runarounds to undermine any peaceful promises made. They would count on the U.S. losing interest as it turned its attention to other matters. Europe could be bought off with lucrative deals, starting with oil. In fact, energy deals with Washington would be an incentive for the U.S. to turn a blind eye to future violations. Israel would be alone, a dreadful prospect.

Regime survival would show a worried world that the U.S. doesn’t have the will to see through difficult challenges. Iran’s rulers are already trying to get a ceasefire to enable its tyranny to survive. They thought that attacking Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and even Oman (which had been trying to broker a deal) with missiles and drones would force those states into pressuring the U.S. to back down. This is backfiring spectacularly and is another example of the mullahs’ catastrophic misjudgment.

Iran may still have enough missiles to obstruct passage in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas passes. The mullahs figure that potentially soaring gasoline prices will induce an election-worried White House to halt the war prematurely.

Iran thinks another factor that will work in its favor is inflicting U.S. casualties. Also, it has nurtured terrorist sleeper cells in numerous countries. These, plus shootings committed by individuals operating on their own, will, the mullahs hope, create political pressure to stop the U.S.-Israel attacks.

President Trump says he’s willing to talk with Iran’s new leaders.

This begets several questions: Have we been working behind the scenes with Iranian opposition groups? To facilitate regime change, are we supplying them with intelligence, money and arms? Perhaps the Israelis and even the CIA have contacts with individuals in the military and even the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) who could both sow dissent and help support a new government.

The fall of Iran’s current government would not only remove a scourge in the Middle East but also lead to the possibility of a profoundly positive strategic change in a dangerous world. Russia and China would be seen as unable to save their friends—Syria, Venezuela, Iran and, perhaps, even Cuba.

Of course, for the U.S. to know how to follow through on these opportunities is very much an open question. For now, President Trump should be blunt: The sole purpose of any talks would be to set the stage for a smooth transfer of power to a new, nonrevolutionary government.