Trump Chose Strength Over Appeasement"

“Do you feel lucky?” – Clint Eastwood

Amid the ongoing uproar over how close Iran was to developing nuclear weapons—whether it was two weeks away, a few months, or several years—President Trump made it clear he wasn’t going to leave matters to chance. He decisively authorized the destruction of three Iranian nuclear facilities. It was, frankly, a no-brainer.

Here are a few basic facts:

• Israel is a democratic state and a member of the United Nations.

• Israel is the only country in the world openly threatened with annihilation.

• Iran is the only country in the world whose government is openly devoted to wiping Israel off the map.

• Iran is a theocratic regime where women are subjugated.

• Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

• Through its proxies, Iran has waged war on both Israel and the United States for decades.

• Israel targets military and nuclear development facilities.

• Iran targets civilian population centers.

When someone repeatedly tells you they intend to kill you—believe them. If your neighbor told you they wanted to kill you, would you ignore the threat? Or would you act? That’s where critical thinking comes in. Ask yourself: “Do I feel lucky?”

The Nuclear Threat

There are nine countries in the world that currently possess nuclear weapons.

Source: Our World in Data

None of them have openly threatened to annihilate another country. Iran would be the first.

Let’s suppose Iran acquired a deliverable nuclear weapon—whether via a ballistic missile––of which they have many, or a covert delivery mechanism. If they used it against Israel, how would Israel respond?

Israel would retaliate with nuclear force. The result? Nuclear war.

Given Iran's regime is an apocalyptic Islamist theocracy that glorifies martyrdom and does not value life in the same way Western democracies do, how far the conflict could spiral is anyone’s guess.

The consequences would be global. Radiation and fallout would travel via the westerly winds into Asia and beyond. We wouldn't be looking at the deaths of millions—but tens of millions. That’s not just speculation—it’s physics and geography.

Appeasement vs. Action

Those who argue against strong American action on Iran are, frankly, feckless. The avatar of this appeasement-minded camp is Tucker Carlson, who has given airtime to antisemites and guests who promote pro-Hitlerian conspiracy theories, often without pushback. I commend President Trump for distancing the White House from Carlson’s influence.

The current crisis did not arise in a vacuum. A major reason things reached this critical point is due to the Obama-Biden administration’s failed Iran policies—along with enabling allies in Europe. These policies emboldened Iran, allowing it to build out its nuclear program and finance terrorism with hundreds of billions of dollars.

Appeasement doesn’t work. If you reward a misbehaving child with candy, the behavior continues. Neville Chamberlain thought appeasing Hitler would prevent war—it didn’t. It invited war.

With Iran, no deal is possible. There is no viable path to a nuclear deal. The regime is intent on acquiring nuclear weapons, not as a deterrent, but as a means to eliminate the Jewish state. This is not hyperbole—it is enshrined in their constitution and echoed repeatedly in public statements.

Iran’s support for the Palestinians is a pretext, not a cause for their attitude to the Jewish state. Even Zahir Muhsein, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, admitted in a 1977 interview:

“The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today, there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese.”

Let’s not forget: the 1947 UN Partition Plan offered a two-state solution, which the Arab nations rejected. The result? The establishment of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan—not “Palestine.”

Iran’s claim to defend Palestinian rights is a sham. Its true goal is to destroy the Jewish state and expand its extremist, Islamist ideology. No amount of appeasement, diplomacy, or goodwill gestures will alter that.

In a world where the stakes include nuclear war, Trump made the hard, but necessary, choice: strength over appeasement. The alternative was to play roulette with millions of lives—and hope for the best.