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I have a lot to say as an Iranian-American who has dedicated my entire career to the promise of a moment like this. And now, it’s finally here.
Watching Iranians flock to the streets waving the lion-and-sun flag, singing old freedom songs and crying tears of disbelief feels amazing. These are the people who literally buried their children in order to have a chance at freedom. Their joy has passed on the day they never thought they would have after 47 years of waiting.
It is difficult to understand people who are so desperate for justice, so hungry for freedom, that they enjoy military strikes in their country as the price of freedom. They know the cost of freedom better than anyone. But while Iranians are dancing and praying for a reborn nation, too many voices here in the United States are dismissing the moment as “another oil war,” a favor to Israel, or a blessing for defense contractors.
Iranian worshipers raise their hands as a sign of solidarity with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israel rally to condemn Israel’s attack on Iran, in the city of Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
That kind of cynicism misunderstands both the stakes and the techniques. What we are witnessing is a deliberate, calculated intervention designed to end a nearly fifteen-year war with the Islamic Republic. The Trump administration’s strategic objective has never been “regime change” for its own sake. It was to ensure that the Iranian regime never had a nuclear weapon and did not continue to terrorize its neighbors or Americans abroad.
But in launching those strikes and dismantling the nation’s military infrastructure, President Trump has effectively done what previous presidents feared. He pushed the Islamic Republic to the point of collapse. And in his words to the Iranian people, he made it clear that the task is on them to restore their destiny. America will not send troops to occupy Tehran or rebuild Iran from the outside. The US will stand with the Iranian people morally, politically and technologically, but it will stop short of boots on the ground.
IRAN’S CROWN PRINCE MAKES NEW CLAIM FOR TRUMP TO KILL AYATOLLAH’S REGIME AS KILLINGS CONTINUE
Cars burn on the street during a protest over the devaluation of the currency in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)
Iran is not Iraq. It is not Afghanistan. Iranians are not a separate nation united by foreign intervention. They are a proud, educated and patriotic nation that remembers the time before the Islamic Republic. Decades of oppression, restrictions and brutality have not broken their spirit. Tens of thousands were arrested, tortured or killed. Women have risked their lives to remove their hijabs in public. Journalists have disappeared for printing the truth. Students were shot or hanged for singing the song “Death to the dictator.” These people are ready, and in many ways, have already begun to revolt.
Let me be clear: America did not start a war with the Islamic Republic. The regime declared war on us in 1979, when the military raided our embassy in Tehran, seized 52 American diplomats, and detained them for 444 days. Since then, its leaders and proxies have attacked our soldiers, our allies and even civilians with terrorism and murder throughout the Middle East. Their strategy from day one has been to send terrorists to maintain power at home.
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Supporters of the Iranian monarchy hold placards and flags during a protest in Central London. Supporters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi gathered in Central London for a march and rally, held in conjunction with protests in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Munich. (Photos by James Willoughby/SOPA/LightRocket via Getty Images)
For decades, successive administrations chose to tolerate or moderate that violence. President Donald Trump, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have chosen to confront it head-on. In doing so, he not only ended one of the world’s most dangerous regimes but also gave the Iranian people their first window of freedom in two generations.
Yes, this campaign is strategic, and yes, it serves US interests. A non-nuclear, post-King Iran means greater stability in the Middle East, a reduced threat to US forces and a stronger impact on global terrorism.
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As celebrations move from Tehran to Los Angeles, one fact is undeniable: this time is different. Iranians are not waiting for America to bring them democracy; they took care of themselves. And the world, finally, is no longer looking away. Let’s celebrate together.
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