RUTHFULLY YOURS

Thanks to the courageous and unapologetic leadership of US President Donald J. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, severe and long-overdue blows were dealt to the Iranian regime.

The United States and Israel reminded the world that tyranny can be confronted. Now comes the more difficult and longer-term task: making sure Iran’s regime does not rise again. That means crippling sanctions, backed by military readiness. That means exposing and dismantling Iran’s war machine, propaganda machine and foreign influence operations in Europe, America and Latin America, and preferably the regime itself. Iran is still a revolutionary Islamist state that sees the US as the great Satan, sees Israel as a cancer, and believes that its divine mission is to conquer and export its Islamist revolution to the West.

While much of the world stood idly by, terrified of “escalation” and “provoking” Iran, the US and Israel stepped up and did what everyone else lacked the resolve to do. They hit Iran where it hurts: inside its nuclear weapons program, military infrastructure, and missile development and storage sites.

For that, Trump and Netanyahu must be commended without hesitation. They deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for ridding the world of a serious threat. These two nations together showed what happens when tyrants are held to account.

Now, as the dust settles and a shaky ceasefire has been declared, we are faced with a chilling reality: the Iranian regime has not been defeated. It is wounded, not dead.

Despite being hit harder than at any time in its history, the Islamic Republic of Iran seems not to have changed its plans. On the contrary, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is still in power, surrounded by sycophants and ideologues who feed his delusions of divine purpose. If you listened to what Khamenei said after the ceasefire, you would not think he just survived a military onslaught. You would think he had won. He stood at the podium and declared that Iran had handed the United States a “severe slap in the face.” He bragged about delivering justice to Israel and attacks on American bases in the Gulf.

Khamenei’s declaration was that of a theocrat who thinks that Trump’s Western talk of “you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR” is laughable, pathetic and that of a “loser.” In Khamenei’s view, if Trump were not weak or stupid or both, Trump would have killed him. Khamenei no doubt believes that Allah is on his side; that Allah, not Trump, saved him; and that his regime is therefore invincible. Khamenei seems to be signaling that his regime has no intention of retreating. “You have the watches but we have the time,” goes the saying.

Trump, possibly expecting perhaps a small nod of gratitude, stated that he had deliberately spared Khamenei’s life and that Khamenei should thank him. Khamenei had been on the brink of being eliminated, Trump related, but that the United States and Israel had held back.

Anyone who knows this part of the world understands that Khamenei will not thank Trump. Khamenei clearly does not see Trump’s reprieve as mercy. Khamenei doubtless sees his survival as a confirmation that Allah protected him, and that it is infidel America that is worthy of contempt and being eliminated.

Khamenei may well double down on his anti-Amercanism, anti-Israelism and his determination to have nuclear weapons. He may be more likely than ever to launch new plots against Americans abroad, to target dissidents and diplomats, to arm proxies, to funnel weapons into Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Iraq, and to sponsor assassinations — just as he has always done.

The Iranian regime has a long history of attacking and killing Americans, starting with having kidnapped the members of the US embassy and held them for more than a year. A regime already obsessed with regional hegemony, nuclear weapons and the destruction of Israel and America might now pursue these goals with renewed urgency. This brings us to another alarming issue: Iran’s nuclear program is still not dismantled or destroyed. The most recent intelligence and IAEA reports confirm that Iran has stockpiled more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% — alarmingly close to weapons-grade level of 90%. More alarmingly, we do not know where the uranium stockpile is located.

There is also the possibility that other countries might be eager to sell Iran nuclear components — for “peaceful purposes,” of course. Iran surely welcome trade, but not as a new policy of peace, just as a way to finance the old policy. The regime that has always been refreshingly open about its intent.

Iran has lied for years — to the world, the UN, and the IAEA. It has built secret nuclear sites, hidden equipment, and played cat-and-mouse games with diplomats. The world cannot afford humor a regime committed to “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” and wait for a change of heart that is not likely to be forthcoming.

There appears to be a dangerous tendency in the West — especially among liberal elites and international bureaucrats — to celebrate ceasefires as solutions. A ceasefire with a regime such as Iran is not a solution or “peace.” It is a pause, a breathing space, to regroup, re-arm and resume plotting.

Every time the West gives Iran room, the regime will use the opportunity once again to expand its terror network, tighten its domestic control, and move closer to nuclear weapons capability. It happened after the JCPOA in 2015. It happened again during the appeasement years of the Obama and Biden administrations. Unless we learn from our mistakes, they will happen now, again.

At the very least, even though it will not work, Iran must be forced to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile, shut down its nuclear infrastructure, and sign onto binding, verifiable, and irreversible disarmament. Not a temporary deal. Not a “framework.” A complete, permanent termination of its expansionist ambitions; its hostility to Israel and other neighbors in the Gulf; its nuclear ambitions and support for all its terrorist proxies. If we fail to secure that now, we are only guaranteeing that at some point the problem will return —bigger, and more dangerous, than before.

This must be the end of the Iranian regime. Not a pause. Not another “negotiation.” The end. Would the US have let the Nazi Party remain in power after World War II? Anything less, really, is a betrayal of the American people, the amazing Israelis, the extraordinary American pilots, and the West.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu