In 12 days, the world has become safer

 

The only front of the war not being won by Israel and the United States is the public-relations battle. 

Some of the best arguments are not being made in a cogent, succinct manner. The launching of the war against Iran was done because the regime led by mullahs was producing missiles at an astronomical clip of 100 a month and headed toward several hundred a month. And that would mean Israel would suffer massive casualties if and when Iran were to once again launch those missiles. 

At the same time, Iran still had 460 kilograms of enriched uranium—enough for 11 nuclear bombs. It was reportedly planning to finish manufacturing the bombs in a new facility further underground so U.S. bombers couldn’t reach it. While Iran’s defenses were weakened last summer in Israel’s 12-day war, the country had maintained weapons for future use. And it made clear at the negotiating table that it had no plans on negotiating away its nuclear or ballistic-missile programs.

It appears that the world has forgotten the night of April 13-14, 2024, when Iran directly attacked Israel with more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. It did this after financing and supporting the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Oct. 8, 2024 attacks by Hezbollah in northern Israel.

After Israel acquiesced to the Biden administration pressure to respond tepidly to the barrage, an emboldened Iran launched a second attack on Israel on civilian targets of about 200 missiles on Oct. 1, 2024. Backed financially and militarily by Tehran, the Hamas and Hezbollah attacks were efforts to further their repeated goal to destroy Israel.

During negotiations with Iran, which were led by U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Iranian negotiators told the U.S. representatives that Iran had 460 kilograms of uranium enriched at 60%, which is a small step of one week to 10 days to 90% enrichment, which makes it usable for a nuclear weapon. Its goal was to be able to make nuclear bombs, and with their ballistic-missile arsenal, make it too cost-prohibitive for any country to stop them militarily. They also made it clear to Witkoff and Kushner what the United States did not destroy in “Operation Midnight Hammer” last June. In short, they were not going to give up their nuclear-enriched fuel and their pathway to a weapon via talks.  

The consistent policy of every U.S. president was that Iran—as the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world—was not going to be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. But leader after leader hedged. Former President Barack Obama wrongly predicted that with the money Iran would receive from sanctions relief after making the nuclear deal he negotiated in 2015, Iran would use it for its people, and not fund terror and ballistic missiles. 

In his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump understood the disaster of that deal, which would have ended nuclear enrichment restrictions by 2030. He withdrew from it in 2018 and started a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran. As a result, Iran’s currency reserves plummeted. 

The Biden administration eased sanctions on Iran, despite Iran’s continuation of its enrichment of uranium, and the financing of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. He went back to the negotiating table, wasting valuable time in talks while Iran went to work on nukes. Then came Oct. 7. 

In his second term, Trump tried to reinstate a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions against Iran and even joined Israel’s 12-day war last summer. On June 21, 2025, the U.S. bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites, though it was obvious that Iran was not deterred in its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. The mass rallies undertaken by its citizens earlier this year led the government to massacre between 30,000 and 40,000 of its own people, wounding some 200,000 others.

Trump understood that there was no possibility of a negotiated solution that would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear bombs. Iran had twice attempted to assassinate him. Understanding the military situation and with the domestic uprising in Iran, the president understood that the time was now. He realized that the only way to bring peace was to end the main party creating war. Iran was not only exporting terrorism but also supplying Russia with killer drones for use against Ukraine, emboldening Russia to maintain its war.

Trump acted in a way few leaders would. He saw vulnerability and took action to keep Iran from obtaining weapons that could destroy any country. He ordered the military operation, along with Israel, and the result is a greatly weakened Tehran. It is not nearly the threat it was less than two weeks ago. The world is safer and better off as a result.

Farley Weiss is the co-author, with Leonard Grunstein, of Because It’s Just and Right: The Untold Backstory of the U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, and a past president of the National Council of Young Israel.

https://www.jns.org/in-12-days-the-world-has-become-safer/