Last night President Trump delivered a powerful address updating the American people, and the world, on Operation Epic Fury and honoring the sacrifice of the 13 Americans who have laid down their lives to protect America, and the world, from a nuclear-armed Sharia-supremacist Iran.
“From the very first day I announced my campaign for President in 2015, I have vowed that I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This fanatical regime has been chanting ‘Death to America, ‘Death to Israel,’ for 47 years. Their proxies were behind the murder of 241 Americans in the Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut, the slaughter of hundreds of our servicemembers with roadside bombs, they were involved in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, and they’ve carried out countless other heinous acts… For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat. The most violent and thuggish regime on earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest, and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield. I will never let that happen,” said the President. (Watch)
“As we speak this evening, it has been just one month since the United States military began Operation Epic Fury targeting the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, Iran. In these past four weeks, our Armed Forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield — victories like few people have ever seen before. Tonight, Iran’s navy is GONE. Their air force is in ruins. Their leaders, most of them — the terrorist regime they led — are now dead. Their command and control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Core is being decimated as we speak. Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed and their weapons, factories, and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces — very few of them left. Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks.” (Watch)
“I did many things during my two terms in office to stop the quest for nuclear weapons by Iran… First, and perhaps most importantly, I killed General Qasem Soleimani in my first term… And then, very importantly, I terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal… Essentially, I did what no other President was willing to do. They made mistakes and I am correcting them.” (Watch)
“My first preference was always the path of diplomacy — yet, the regime continued their relentless quest for nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement. For this reason, in June, I ordered a strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer… The regime then sought to rebuild their nuclear program at a totally different location, making clear they had no intention of abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons… For years, everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons — but in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes.” (Watch)
“As I stated in my announcement of Operation Epic Fury, our objectives are very simple and clear. We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside their borders… Our Armed Forces have been extraordinary. There’s ever been anything like it militarily — everyone is talking about it — and tonight, I am pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion. As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran… Now, we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives.” (Watch)
However, there was one important objective missing from the President’s recitation of strategic objectives and our efforts to accomplish them: Defeating Iran’s revolutionary Islamic ideology.
"I didn't need regime change, but we got it because of the casualties of war. We got it. So we have regime change and the big thing we have is they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," President Trump said. "We have had full regime change," President Trump observed. "I'm dealing with a very good chance that we'll make a deal because they don't want to be blasted anymore."
Killing General Qasem Soleimani, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Army Chief of Staff Abdul Rahim Mousavi, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force Gholamreza Soleimani, and others, does not defeat the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih.
This ideology, based on Shia “Twelver” Islam, is the motivating force behind Iran’s drive to acquire a nuclear weapon and to sow terror and chaos across the world. Killing Iran’s leaders does not defeat this ideology because another adherent of Wilayat al-Faqih will step up to take their place.
Failing to defeat the Taliban’s ideology of Sharia-supremacism is why Afghanistan’s former government was quickly defeated after Joe Biden precipitously withdrew our forces. So, we can kill Iranian leaders down to the point that sergeants are running the army and the clerks are running the government and they are not going to change their stated policy of death to the two Satans, the United States and Israel, because we have not defeated the ideology that motivates them.
Defeating and replacing the ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih is a necessary condition of “winning” the war and achieving a lasting peace with a new Iran. Until a truly secular government made up of Wester-oriented Iranians committed to peace is in place the war the Islamic Republic declared 47 years ago on America and the West will continue.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com. A veteran of over 300 political campaigns, he served as a staff member or advance representative for some of America’s most recognized conservative political figures, including Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin and Jack Kemp. A member of American MENSA, he served on the House and Senate staff and on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle. Rasley is a graduate of Hanover College and studied international affairs at Oxford University's Worcester College. Rasley has lived, worked and travelled extensively in the Muslim world, including staffing Vice President Quayle on official visits to Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
“From the very first day I announced my campaign for President in 2015, I have vowed that I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This fanatical regime has been chanting ‘Death to America, ‘Death to Israel,’ for 47 years. Their proxies were behind the murder of 241 Americans in the Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut, the slaughter of hundreds of our servicemembers with roadside bombs, they were involved in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, and they’ve carried out countless other heinous acts… For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat. The most violent and thuggish regime on earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest, and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield. I will never let that happen,” said the President. (Watch)
“As we speak this evening, it has been just one month since the United States military began Operation Epic Fury targeting the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, Iran. In these past four weeks, our Armed Forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield — victories like few people have ever seen before. Tonight, Iran’s navy is GONE. Their air force is in ruins. Their leaders, most of them — the terrorist regime they led — are now dead. Their command and control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Core is being decimated as we speak. Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed and their weapons, factories, and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces — very few of them left. Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks.” (Watch)
“I did many things during my two terms in office to stop the quest for nuclear weapons by Iran… First, and perhaps most importantly, I killed General Qasem Soleimani in my first term… And then, very importantly, I terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal… Essentially, I did what no other President was willing to do. They made mistakes and I am correcting them.” (Watch)
“My first preference was always the path of diplomacy — yet, the regime continued their relentless quest for nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement. For this reason, in June, I ordered a strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer… The regime then sought to rebuild their nuclear program at a totally different location, making clear they had no intention of abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons… For years, everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons — but in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes.” (Watch)
“As I stated in my announcement of Operation Epic Fury, our objectives are very simple and clear. We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside their borders… Our Armed Forces have been extraordinary. There’s ever been anything like it militarily — everyone is talking about it — and tonight, I am pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion. As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran… Now, we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives.” (Watch)
However, there was one important objective missing from the President’s recitation of strategic objectives and our efforts to accomplish them: Defeating Iran’s revolutionary Islamic ideology.
"I didn't need regime change, but we got it because of the casualties of war. We got it. So we have regime change and the big thing we have is they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," President Trump said. "We have had full regime change," President Trump observed. "I'm dealing with a very good chance that we'll make a deal because they don't want to be blasted anymore."
Killing General Qasem Soleimani, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Army Chief of Staff Abdul Rahim Mousavi, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force Gholamreza Soleimani, and others, does not defeat the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih.
This ideology, based on Shia “Twelver” Islam, is the motivating force behind Iran’s drive to acquire a nuclear weapon and to sow terror and chaos across the world. Killing Iran’s leaders does not defeat this ideology because another adherent of Wilayat al-Faqih will step up to take their place.
Failing to defeat the Taliban’s ideology of Sharia-supremacism is why Afghanistan’s former government was quickly defeated after Joe Biden precipitously withdrew our forces. So, we can kill Iranian leaders down to the point that sergeants are running the army and the clerks are running the government and they are not going to change their stated policy of death to the two Satans, the United States and Israel, because we have not defeated the ideology that motivates them.
Defeating and replacing the ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih is a necessary condition of “winning” the war and achieving a lasting peace with a new Iran. Until a truly secular government made up of Wester-oriented Iranians committed to peace is in place the war the Islamic Republic declared 47 years ago on America and the West will continue.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com. A veteran of over 300 political campaigns, he served as a staff member or advance representative for some of America’s most recognized conservative political figures, including Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin and Jack Kemp. A member of American MENSA, he served on the House and Senate staff and on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle. Rasley is a graduate of Hanover College and studied international affairs at Oxford University's Worcester College. Rasley has lived, worked and travelled extensively in the Muslim world, including staffing Vice President Quayle on official visits to Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
