T
he latest moment of peril for Iran's ruling ayatollahs may have passed, but their regime is nonetheless weaker than ever before. Donald Trump could yet decide to use force to punish the regime's brutal murder of thousands of innocent protesters, but the ayatollahs' ultimate fate remains uncertain. Simultaneously, the Atlantic alliance faces enormous tension due to Trump's disdain for NATO, his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize, his friendship with Vladimir Putin, his belligerent rhetoric about Greenland and his fascination with tariffs, among other things. Amidst all this turmoil, therefore, finding common ground where the allies can work toward mutually advantageous objectives would be extremely helpful.
Joint action against Iran's theocratic-military dictatorship is one such project. Without Iran's support, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iraqi Shia militias would be in dire financial straits. Israel's retaliation for Hamas's barbaric October 7 attack has already dramatically altered the Middle Eastern balance of power, but Iran's terrorist threat will not disappear until the regime disappears. Toppling the regime is the swiftest and most effective way to remove the terrorist threat the West has faced for over 50 years.
