The moral and strategic imperative

Some important points made here as to why Donald Trump's decision to take down Iran's totalitarians was moral and strategic:

For nearly half a century, the Islamic Republic of Iran has waged a calculated, ideological and often merciless campaign against the United States, Israel and the broader Western world. It has done so not only through rhetoric - the ritualistic chants of “Death to America" and “Death to Israel" that echo from Tehran - but through bloodshed. Through proxy militias. Through bombings, hijackings, kidnappings and missile strikes. Through the systematic sponsorship of terror as an instrument of statecraft.

President Donald J. Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s military infrastructure and cripple its path to nuclear weapons was not rash adventurism. It was a long-overdue reckoning.

For decades, American presidents have absorbed the blows of the Islamic Republic while hoping to manage or moderate it. That experiment failed. Iran did not moderate; it metastasized. It expanded its network of terror proxies across Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. It embedded itself as the principal state sponsor of global terrorism. And it moved steadily toward nuclear capability, all while proclaiming its intent to eradicate Israel and challenge American power. [...]

In 1983, Iran-backed terrorists bombed the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 17 Americans. Months later, Hezbollah - created, funded and directed by Tehran - slaughtered 241 U.S. service members in the Marine barracks bombing. It remains one of the deadliest days in American military history. CIA station chief William Buckley was kidnapped and murdered. American diplomats were targeted. Airliners were hijacked, passengers tortured and executed.

Lest we forget, Ronald Reagan ran away by withdrawing virtually all military from Lebanon at the time, and left the murders of the diplomats and soldiers otherwise unavenged. Nor did Reagan make any serious effort on his part to stop Iran's totalitarians before they built up the missile launching horror network Israel and the USA's militaries are now battling to destroy. Now, it can be said that Trump's avenging the victims of Iran's dark minions from that time 4 decades ago.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Iran’s proxies - Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad - unleashed suicide bombings across Israel. Buses exploded in Jerusalem. Shopping centers were turned into charnel houses. University cafeterias became scenes of carnage. Americans were among the dead. [...]

And then came October 7.

Hamas - an Iranian-backed terror proxy armed, trained and financed by Tehran - carried out one of the most barbaric massacres in modern Israeli history. Nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered in southern Israel. Families were butchered in their homes. Young people were gunned down at a music festival. More than 250 people were taken hostage, dragged into Gaza in scenes that horrified the civilized world.

Among the victims were 46 Americans. At least 12 Americans were kidnapped.

Hamas did not act in a vacuum. It is part of the Iranian axis. Its arsenal, its training, its ideological alignment - all trace back to Tehran. The October 7 massacre was not simply a regional skirmish; it was the violent manifestation of Iran’s long-standing strategy to encircle and weaken Israel through proxies while avoiding direct confrontation. [...]

Beyond the strategic dimension lies a moral one. The Iranian people themselves have endured decades of repression under a draconian theocracy. Women have been beaten for defying compulsory dress codes. Protesters have been imprisoned, tortured or executed. Elections are tightly controlled. Journalists are silenced. Religious minorities are persecuted.

Economic mismanagement and corruption have impoverished a population rich in culture, history and potential. Nationwide protests over rising prices and political repression have been crushed with lethal force. Thousands have died in crackdowns.

All the above are serious reasons to bring down Iran's mullahcracy. They funded evil, and even committed evil on their own home turf. And all that part is hopefully coming to an end now, during Trump's administration.

Update: here's also a commentary about how this war is like a variation on defeating Haman, the abominable Persian politician who tried to annihilate Jews, but was defeated by queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai, and all this is why the Purim holiday is celebrated today.