Time for a little history lesson so that people know what we’re dealing with, and have been dealing with – more or less – since 1979.
On November 4, 1979 Iranian terrorists stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took Americans working at the embassy hostage. Eventually holding 53 of those same Americans for 444 days, releasing them only on the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President of the United States on January 20, 1981. Until their release the American hostages were held in horrible conditions, suffered physical mistreatment, mock executions, and other mental torment.
On April 18, 1983 Iranian-backed terrorists drove a truck into the front of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Killing 17 Americans who worked there, including my friend CIA Chief of Station Ken Haas. A large number of other CIA employees were also among the Americans killed, as though the terrorist knew exactly where to focus his attack and thereby wipe out the CIA’s intelligence collection efforts on Iranian terrorist targets in Lebanon. In addition to the Americans killed there were 32 Lebanese killed, and another 14 embassy visitors, or other people just passing by on the street who were also killed.
This attack was followed on October 23 of that same year by another attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 220 U.S. Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers. Another 128 were wounded in the blast, with 13 eventually succumbing to their wounds. The French also experienced an attack that killed 58 French military personnel who were part of the peacekeeping contingent in Beirut. These three attacks were ordered and supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. (On September 20, 1984 another car bomb exploded at the U.S. Embassy Annex in East Beirut, supposedly a more secure location, killing 20 more Lebanese and two American soldiers.)
On March 16, 1984, the new CIA Chief of Station William Buckley was kidnapped by Hezbollah from his apartment building in Beirut when he was leaving for work. He endured 14 months of torture while in captivity, some of the torture was recorded and eventually ended up being played for then President Ronald Reagan, which is said to have contributed to his decision to trade arms for hostages, as other Americans had also been abducted and were still being held.
Colonel William Higgins, USMC, on February 17, 1988, disappeared while serving as the Chief, Observer Group Lebanon and Senior Military Observer, United Nations Military Observer Group, United Nations Truce Supervision. He was abducted by Iranian-backed terrorists and subsequently tortured and executed. A video of his body hanging from the ceiling was released by the terrorists for all the world to see. He was declared dead on July 6, 1990.
Iran was also behind the horrific crimes committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the sheer evil and brutality of those crimes even more barbaric than those committed by ISIS during it’s heyday in Iraq and Syria, as well as the countless other terrorist crimes committed by Hamas and Hezbollah with Iranian support for decades.
While the recent successful Israeli military operations, including the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a good start, it’s not nearly enough. The real enemy of world peace resides inside Tehran. The Iranian regime has been a cancer in the volatile Middle East since 1979 when the regime of the Shah of Iran was overthrown and replaced with a strict fundamentalist theocracy led at the time by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeine. Upon his death in 1989 the equally despicable Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was elevated to the supreme leader, and ruled Iran for 35 years, and is ultimately the person responsible for Iran’s terrorist activities worldwide.
Negotiations with Iran are futile. The Iranian regime has never had any intention of abiding by any agreement they may enter into with the United States. They have only viewed these ‘agreements’ as an opportunity to buy them time as they continue their pursuit of nuclear weapons. To believe otherwise is the height of naïveté.
Since the Biden Administration has allowed our southwest border to remain open there is no doubt that Hezbollah terrorists, among others, have entered the United States and are currently roaming free within our country. Very likely awaiting instructions from the Iranian regime. Though the shots being fired are between Israel and Iran right now, the Iranians view the United States as “the Great Satan”, and we certainly are in their crosshairs.
Iran has never paid a price for any of the terrorist attacks that it has committed or has been behind. Until Iran pays a severe price for the depredations they have committed, the Middle East will never be able to achieve a lasting peace. Regime change in Iran is the only solution. The Iranians are reeling from the recent Israeli actions and the time is ripe for the regime to collapse. If only the U.S. would provide the nudge that is needed.
But we won’t.