At our Friday meeting of the National Medal of Honor Sustaining Fund last week, a colleague casually asked what I thought were Donald Trump’s strategic and tactical options in Iran. He was surprised when I responded to Part A and Part B of his question with one word: “Decapitation.”

None of the last six presidents, other than Trump, has been willing to confront Iran with regime-destabilizing kinetic action.

To be clear, Ronald Reagan did not have to take any action other than his oath of office to secure the release of American hostages taken by Iran under Jimmy Carter’s watch.

In what amounts to a textbook case of a foreign adversary anticipating the consequences of a powerful American president, on 20 January 1981, as President Ronald Reagan was 10 minutes into his 20-minute inaugural address, the Iranian regime under the tyrannical leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini announced that all of the American hostages were being released.

No president since could conjure up the political will to take on Khomeini, or his Shia cleric successor, the second Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, until this week. Since Khamenei’s rise in 1989, Iran has been the perennial disruptor of Middle East peace as the region’s primary state sponsor of Islamic terror proxies.

Republican presidents, including Reagan’s successor George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush, drew lines in the sand, including Bush 41’s Desert Shield/Storm offensive to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. But he did not have the resolve to decapitate Saddam, prompting Reagan’s contemporary, Margaret Thatcher, to protest, “Don’t go wobbly on us, George.”

The consequence of not removing Saddam was the Second Gulf War in 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom under Bush 43. That was preceded by Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, responding to the 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation.

As for Democrat presidents, Bush 41’s successor, Bill Clinton, had several opportunities to capture or kill al-Qa'ida’s leader, Osama bin Laden, prior to 9/11, but refused.

Regarding Iran, Bush 43’s successor, Barack Obama, became Khamenei’s great appeaser, not only codifying the Iran nuke deal, effectively paving the way for the Islamic Bomb, but in 2016, just before Trump’s first term, Obama even shipped $400 million in palletized cash to Khamenei, and another $1.3 billion shortly thereafter.

In 2017, Trump took on Iran and largely held the line in defense of Israel.

But Iran’s state-terror-sponsor status surged back in 2021, when the feckless appeasers Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office.

Not only did the Biden/Harris regime white flag Islamic terror with its surrender and retreat from Afghanistan in August 2021, but Vladimir Putin prepped for his invasion of Ukraine that year, which he launched in February 2022.

Biden empowered the 2023 Hamas (read: “Iranian”) attack on Israel, leaving Israel to defend itself alone.

Enter President Trump for a second term – he clearly promised that Iran’s tenure as a rogue Islamist State was coming to an end, and he made good on that promise,

As Israel endeavored to contain the threat from Hamas, confident of America’s support under Trump, in June 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched Operation Rising Lion, a 12-day war against Iran to protect the civilized world from that rogue nation’s development of nuclear weapons. Eleven days later, President Trump launched Operation Midnight Hammer, destroying Iran’s processed uranium and enrichment capabilities to further incapacitate its construction of nuclear weapons.

In the eight months since Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer, Israel and the U.S. have attempted to negotiate a peace settlement with Khamenei and President/Dictator Masoud Pezeshkian, but to no avail.

Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff noted: “Three separate times, Jared and I opened up with the Iranian negotiators telling us they had the inalienable right to enrich all of the nuclear fuel they possessed. That’s how they opened up… In that first meeting, both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly, with no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium], and they’re aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs. And that was the beginning of their negotiating stance. They were proud of it. They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”

Despite Trump’s launch of Operation Absolute Resolve to capture Venezuela’s narco-trafficking dictator, Nicolás Maduro, Khamenei and Pezeshkian failed to understand the implications for their regime.

Ali Khamenei did not get the memo, and his role in any further negotiations ended abruptly on Saturday.

At 0230 on 28FEB, President Trump announced our nation’s collaboration with Israel in Operation Epic Fury. The attack was launched on the 35th anniversary of the end of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

According to Trump: “A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime – a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”

Trump made clear: “We’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be, again, totally obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy. … And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. … We’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission.”

He spoke directly to “the great, proud people of Iran,” telling them, “The hour of your freedom is at hand.”

The UK, France, and Germany all cautiously backed Israel’s action. But as anticipated, hedging British bets because of the sheer number of potentially violent Islamist they have allowed into their respective nations, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made clear, “The United Kingdom played no role in these strikes.”

Predictably, UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned both the United States and Israel for the hostilities.

Shortly after Epic Fury began, we confirmed that, once again, Israel’s HaMossad, in coordination with opponents of the Iranian regime, had very good intelligence. The IDF targeted and killed Ali Khamenei, and almost 50 of his key regime leaders were also killed.

Of the Ayatollah’s demise, Trump said: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead. … He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.” Ask about Iran’s leadership succession plan, he responded: “Some of them are no longer with us because was 49 were taken out…49 is deep in their succession chain.”

I presume the fact that Masoud Pezeshkian survived the attack was a strategic decision.

It will take some time to determine how effective the decapitation has been — but the old adage that the best laid plans go out the window when the first shot is fired has certainly been challenged by Absolute Resolve and now Epic Fury.

“To the great, proud people of Iran,” Trump declared, “I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.” He continued: “When we are finished, take over your government… For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So, let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”

As our military analyst, GEN B.B. Bell (USA Ret.), concluded: “This is a stunning achievement by Israel and the United States and will positively impact the region and the world for years to come. Thank God we have a President who is not afraid to wield military power when U.S. national interests are at risk!”

There have been American casualties, including six American service personnel killed Saturday in an Iranian missile attack against Kuwait, wounding four others. There have also been three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles shot down in a “friendly fire” incident over Kuwait. U.S. Central Command reports that all six Air Force pilots and WSOs ejected safely and are in stable condition.

Trump estimates the continuing assaults against Iran’s missile and naval assets could last four weeks, and his administration will brief Congress on Tuesday.

According to Secretary Pete Hegseth: “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. Their war on Americans has become our retribution against their ayatollah and his death cult. … This is not Iraq. This is not endless. No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win, and we don’t waste time or lives.”

Of the casualties and those anticipated, Hegseth said to military families, “We grieve with you, and we will never forget you.”

On the subject of casualties, former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice offered this assessment: “Iran has been at war with us for at least 47 years…and was the source of many of our casualties in Iraq…75 or 80% of them were due to Iranian-made roadside bombs. … To say that this regime was not a threat … it’s ahistorical. They have been a threat for a long time.”

Notably, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly made several calls to President Trump over the past month, and despite his necessary public advocacy for a diplomatic solution, encouraged the U.S. to act with Israel and hit Iran. Most Saudi Arabia citizens are Sunni – certainly the Saudis would be glad to be rid of this Iran’s radical Shia regime.

That notwithstanding, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who called the attack “tragic,” is prepping a war powers resolution to halt further action against Iran, but it will likely fail in the Senate as it will in the House.

Kaine’s response is typical of Demos across the board claiming this was an “unnecessary war of choice.”

To be clear, regarding the protest from Kaine and other armchair experts on the left that there was no “imminent threat” from Iran, anyone with a modicum of knowledge about strategic operations knows if you wait for an eminent threat, you have waited too long. Nutcase Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) actually claimed that Trump ordered up the war as “an excuse to allow ICE to keep murdering Americans.”

WaPo even posted a glowing obituary of Khamenei noting, “With his bushy white beard and easy smile, Ayatollah Khamenei cut a more avuncular figure in public than his perpetually scowling but much more revered mentor, and he was known to be fond of Persian poetry and classic Western novels, especially Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables.’” Isn’t that special… The Leftmedia talkingheads and scribes are, collectively, apoplectic about killing this tyrant.

The Demo protests prompted seasoned political analyst Brit Hume to conclude: “Democrats are trapped because they exist in a party that overwhelmingly despises Donald Trump — it’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there’s something to that. And the result is that these Democrats … oppose this because they feel they must … galvanize resistance to Trump almost no matter what he does. One thing you can say about this president, he’s nothing if not bold.”

Hume added a cautionary note: “The thing about regime change is that the consequences are not foreseeable; all kinds of things can happen. I think the odds are that this will work well, but they’re not guaranteed.”

As for all the media polling on Iran, those being polled are just parroting what the MSM has told them. Maybe 10 percent of poll respondents actually have the discernment to understand the complexities of national security strategy. So reporting these polls is just parroting polling of parrots.

Fox News promotes these nonsense polls constantly, and a question: Why is Fox News giving Iranian government propagandists airtime to respond to our military operations? Isn’t that CNN’s job?

It is a dangerous world, particularly after years of reckless foreign policy ineptitude and military atrophy under Joe Biden. Sometimes making it less so initially makes it more so. But Israel and the U.S. are reminding our adversaries, and the rest of the world, how wars are won.

In the coming weeks, we will get a better picture of the direction Iran’s 90 million citizens will take their country.

In the meantime, please continue to pray every day for all our Armed Forces involved in Epic Fury and operations in the coming months – and for their families.

Finally, memo to Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel…

Footnote: We are about to find out if the FBI and CIA missed any of the Iranian terrorists who came across our southern and northern borders on Biden’s watch.

Footnote 2: Standby to hear more in the coming weeks about another BIG loser in Op Epic Fury, Red China. Part of our strategic objective in Venezuela was to disable China’s influence in South America. We have now undermined Xi Jinping’s endeavor to create a stronghold in the Middle East.)