Remember when the Obama/Biden administration was shipping pallets of cash to Iran and begging the mullahs to pretty-please come back to the nuclear deal? Donald Trump tried a different approach on Saturday. He sent the United States Air Force and the IDF instead. Iran’s “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is now the “Former Supreme Leader,” on account of being extremely dead.
Good grief! Forty-plus senior Iranian officials wiped out in one afternoon. The defense minister, the Revolutionary Guard commander, the Security Council secretary — all gone within sixty seconds across two locations. You know what Biden got for his pallets of cash? Nothing. You know what Trump got for a Saturday afternoon of cruise missiles? The entire Iranian regime decapitated. We’ll let you decide which approach works better.
The CIA had been tracking Khamenei’s movements for months, and Trump’s team picked the perfect day to drop in. Saturday was the start of the Iranian work week. It was also during Ramadan. Every senior official in the country was exactly where intelligence predicted they’d be. (Turns out showing up to work on time can really backfire on you when the CIA is watching.)
Trump told CNBC the operation is “ahead of schedule.” Ahead of schedule! The man talks about obliterating a 45-year terrorist regime the same way a contractor talks about finishing your kitchen remodel early. “Good news, honey — we knocked out the backsplash AND the Ayatollah before lunch!”
Four of our guys didn’t come home on Saturday. Five more are in the hospital. And if some cable news ghoul tries to use those deaths to score points against the president, they can save it. Those four Americans did more for national security in one afternoon than the entire Biden State Department accomplished in four years of groveling. And President Trump is awarding them all Medals of Honor, which grants their families a lifetime of benefits.
But wait — it gets better. Iran retaliated by launching missile attacks on the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar. Eight countries. Eight countries that had absolutely nothing to do with the U.S. and Israel’s strike on Khamenei. That’s like getting punched by the guy at the end of the bar and responding by throwing your drink at the bartender. Brilliant military strategy, fellas.
They also fired on Israel, killing one woman and injuring 121 people. So the grand total of Iran’s “devastating retaliation” was: four service men down, one Israeli civilian dead and 121 injured, a bunch of furious Arab countries that are now reportedly joining the fight with the U.S. and Israel, 70% of flights canceled at Dubai International Airport, and three tankers in the Gulf damaged. That’ll teach America a lesson!
(Somewhere in Tehran right now, whatever’s left of Iran’s leadership is sitting around a table going, “Okay so who wants to be the new Supreme Leader?” And every single one of them is pointing at the guy across the table saying, “You do it.” “No way, YOU do it. I saw what happened to the last one.”)
Even Zelensky jumped in and declared solidarity with the Gulf countries Iran attacked. That guy will say anything to stay relevant, but at least he can read a room. When Big Orange is dropping the hammer, everybody wants to be on our side. Funny how that works.
Speaking of funny — Tim Kaine and the Democrats in Congress are pushing a war powers resolution. Tim Kaine! The guy who was almost Vice President is out there calling this a “colossal mistake” while the Ayatollah’s compound is still smoldering. Can you imagine? The most successful targeted military operation in decades and the Democrats’ immediate reaction is to file paperwork. That’s their version of “supporting the troops” — a strongly worded memo.
(We’re pretty sure Iran’s surviving leadership cares a LOT more about the F-35s than about Tim Kaine’s resolution.)
And wouldn’t you know it — Iran’s remaining leaders are already signaling they’re open to talks. Four years of Biden’s “diplomacy” — which was really just writing checks to people who chant “Death to America” — couldn’t get Iran to return a phone call. One Saturday afternoon of Trump’s foreign policy and they can’t dial fast enough.
Trump warned Iran not to try anything else, that this is only the beginning. And this wasn’t your typical diplomatic warning. This was Trump in all caps: “THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” Given that the last group of Iranian leaders who tested America are now a collection of smoking craters, we’d suggest the new guys take that one seriously.
Over 200 Iranians were killed across the country. The Ayatollah is toast. His generals are toast. His defense minister is toast. Every dictator from Damascus to Pyongyang who spent the last four years thinking America was a paper tiger just got a Wile E. Coyote moment — they looked down and there’s no road under their feet anymore. The mullahs’ phone is ringing off the hook and for the first time in 45 years, they’re actually going to pick up.
We hope Iran’s new leadership enjoys the hold music. They might be waiting a while — Big Orange is a busy guy.
