Since the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, its regime has operated with one unshakable and unwavering ideological mission: to defy, destabilize and ultimately destroy the influence and presence of the United States and its allies, especially Israel. This is not speculation. It is in the slogans shouted in their streets, in the sermons delivered by their clerics, and in the laws enshrined in their constitution.
Iran’s constitution explicitly declares its goal to export the Islamic Revolution beyond its borders. Jihad is not merely permitted – it is prescribed.
The preamble states:
“The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps…will be responsible not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God’s way; that is, extending the sovereignty of God’s law throughout the world.”
As Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said, “When you chant ‘Death to America!’ it is not just a slogan – it is a policy.” The Iranian regime was birthed through hatred of America and anti-Western rage, and over four decades later, that hatred has not only endured – it has intensified. This is the all-important truth that too many U.S. leaders, across both parties, have failed to internalize. Their failure to understand this fundamental reality has made America more vulnerable, not less.
From President Jimmy Carter’s indecisive handling of the Iran hostage crisis to President Barack Obama’s disastrous JCPOA “nuclear deal,” the U.S. has repeatedly tried to rehabilitate and “normalize” Iran’s terrorist regime. Each attempt was met not with gratitude or moderation from Iran, but with increased hostility and aggression.
Carter offered silence and diplomacy during Iran’s holding American citizens as hostages; in return, he received humiliation. Obama offered billions of dollars in sanctions relief, secret pallets of cash, and a weak agreement that let Iran maintain its nuclear infrastructure and promised it the ability to acquire nuclear weapons – “not on my watch” but, conveniently, after his “watch,” in October 2025.
What did Iran do with this windfall of billions in cash and at least $100 billion in unfrozen assets received during Obama’s term? They funneled the money into Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a sprawling regional terror network. Iran enriched uranium and built long-range ballistic missiles – some with a range far beyond what is needed to attack Israel. Iran expanded its influence in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Venezuela – all while promising America’s destruction with renewed fervor.
As President Donald Trump takes on the challenge of confronting America’s enemies once again, he has shown a willingness to offer Iran a peaceful path forward. Despite years of Iranian hostility and terrorism, Trump is offering a new deal.
If you think that such regimes – which include Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Xi Jinping’s China – would express gratitude or at least restraint towards the U.S., you would be wrong. Instead, Khamenei launched a vicious tirade against America and Israel, calling for the destruction of the Jewish state and publicly denouncing Trump by name. Khamenei wrote on May 17:
“Some of the remarks made during the US President’s trip to the region aren’t even worth a response at all. The level of those remarks is so low that they are a source of shame for the American nation.”
He later added:
“Trump said he wants to use power for peace. He’s lying.”
Even as Trump offers Iran’s mullahs a lifeline, in return they spit venom. Like Russia’s and China’s, Iran’s is not a regime seeking peace.
The dangerous reality is that while the United States continues to dangle olive branches, Iran continues to rebuild its air defense systems and enlarge up its ballistic missile arsenal for future attacks.
Iran’s is not a normal regime with the conventional foreign policy goals of building a prosperous state, at peace with its neighbors, for the benefit of its citizens. Iran is run by a fanatical, revolutionary regime built on the bones of jihad and “martyrdom.” The Iranian regime’s foreign policy is its religion, and this religion, as an obligation, preaches the destruction of America.
We are not victims of Iran’s deception; we are victims of our own delusions. For 45 years, we have watched this regime assault our embassies, kill our soldiers, kidnap our citizens, destabilize our allies, and defy every international norm. Yet, every time a new U.S. president takes office, the same tired fantasy sprouts up: “This time, it will be different.” No, it will not. The regime has not changed. We keep forgetting, and keep hoping that if we are nice enough or bribe them enough, or if they bribe us enough, they will give up their dreams of an Islamist empire.
Iran’s nuclear program is not peaceful. It never was. Iran possesses enough highly enriched uranium to build at least six nuclear warheads within a matter of weeks – if it has not already built them. Iran has accelerated the installation of advanced centrifuges and reduced its cooperation with international inspectors. Iran’s leaders do not fear international law or diplomatic pressure – they exploit it. They sign agreements only to buy time. They talk peace while they arm for war.
It's a funny thing Mao's Red Guards declared an ideological war on the United States in May 1966 as part of the Cultural Revolution. Khomeini's Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line attacked the American Embassy taking hostages in November 1979 beginning a ceaseless terror war against the United States and Israel. Instead of an immediate decisive military move, our response, wishy-washy diplomacy (Carter) and let's make a deal (Trump).
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