Donald Trump: Finish the job - opinion

For nearly half a century, the Islamic Republic of Iran has waged war against the United States, Israel, and the civilized world through terrorism, proxy armies, and revolutionary fanaticism.

Today, after years of economic pressure, military setbacks, and growing internal weakness, the regime finds itself more vulnerable than at any point since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Recent developments involving Iran’s oil infrastructure and President Trump’s increasingly forceful warnings suggest that a decisive moment may be approaching.

In recent days, Trump has signaled increasing frustration with Tehran’s refusal to make meaningful concessions. The Iranian regime continues to follow the same playbook it has used for decades: stall negotiations, make threats, buy time, and hope the West loses its resolve. The ayatollahs understand that every month they survive is another month to rebuild their military capabilities, strengthen their terrorist proxies, and continue pursuing regional domination.

More importantly, Trump has gone beyond warnings and signaled a willingness to target the financial foundations of the Iranian regime itself. Reports regarding potential action against Kharg Island, the primary hub for Iran’s oil exports, have sent a message that Tehran has not heard from Washington in years.

The issue is no longer simply whether Iran will negotiate. The issue is whether the regime will continue to enjoy the revenue it uses to fund terrorism across the Middle East.

The question before the president is simple: Will America once again allow Iran to escape the consequences of its actions, or will this administration finally finish the job?

For years I have argued that Iran is not merely another hostile nation. It is the head of the snake.

Too often, policymakers focus on the individual terrorist organizations attacking Israel and American interests throughout the Middle East. Hamas launches rockets from Gaza. Hezbollah threatens Israel from Lebanon. The Houthis disrupt international shipping lanes. Shi’ite militias attack American forces throughout the region.

Yet these groups do not operate independently. They are funded, armed, trained, and directed by Tehran. They are branches of a much larger enterprise designed to spread the Iranian Revolution beyond Iran’s borders.

The world has spent decades fighting the tentacles while refusing to confront the head. As a result, every apparent victory has proven temporary. One terrorist leader is eliminated only to be replaced by another. One proxy organization is weakened only to be replenished with Iranian money and weapons. The cycle continues because the source of the problem remains intact.

A lasting peace in the Middle East will never be achieved as long as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism remains capable of financing and directing these organizations.

There is another reality the international media often ignores. Iran’s rulers are not operating from a position of strength.

The regime faces severe economic pressure. Years of sanctions, corruption, military expenditures, and economic mismanagement have left the government struggling to meet its obligations. While ordinary Iranians suffer under inflation and unemployment, billions of dollars have been diverted to terrorist organizations across the Middle East.

The Iranian people rarely see the benefits. For decades, the mullahs have prioritized exporting revolution and financing terror over improving the lives of their own citizens. That is why economic pressure remains one of the most effective tools available to the United States.

When Osama bin Laden was finally cornered, his financial resources had been dramatically reduced. The same principle applies to Iran. Terror organizations cannot function without money. Missiles are not free. Militias are not free. Terrorist infrastructure is not free.

The surest way to weaken the regime is to starve the terror machine. Recent developments involving Kharg Island suggest Trump understands exactly where that pressure should be applied.

The fastest way to weaken the Iranian regime is not through endless negotiations but through economic pressure. Terrorism requires money. Missiles require money. Proxy armies require money. Revolutionary governments require money.

Most Americans have never heard of Kharg Island, yet it is arguably the most important piece of real estate in Iran. Approximately 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow through this small island in the Persian Gulf. It is the financial lifeline of the regime. It is the artery through which billions of dollars flow into Tehran’s treasury.

Those dollars are then used to fund Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and terrorist networks throughout the Middle East.

Trump understands something that many foreign-policy experts have failed to grasp. If you want to stop the terror machine, you do not merely fight the terrorists – you cut off the money that keeps them alive.

Recent reports indicate that the president has threatened to seize or take control of Kharg Island and other critical Iranian energy infrastructure. Whether that ultimately happens is less important than the message being sent. Tehran is being told that the days of funding terrorism while enjoying unrestricted oil revenue may be coming to an end.

The ayatollahs understand money. They understand power. Most importantly, they understand survival. When the regime begins to fear losing its economic lifeline, it suddenly becomes much more interested in compromise.

For decades the world has tried to manage Iran’s aggression. Trump appears determined to attack its source. That is why the regime is nervous. And that is why America must maintain maximum pressure until the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism can no longer finance its campaign of violence.

One of the greatest mistakes made by Western commentators is equating the Iranian people with the regime that governs them.

The Iranian people possess a rich history, a remarkable culture, and a deep desire for freedom. Time and again they have demonstrated courage by protesting a regime that has squandered their nation’s wealth on foreign adventures and terrorist proxies rather than investing in its own citizens.

The true victims of the Islamic Republic are not only the Israelis, Americans, and Arabs targeted by its terrorist proxies. The Iranian people themselves have paid an enormous price for nearly five decades of dictatorship and religious extremism.

Any policy toward Iran must distinguish between the regime and the people living under its control. America’s conflict is not with the citizens of Iran. It is with the revolutionary government that has spent decades threatening its neighbors and sponsoring terrorism around the globe.

Today the opportunity is even greater.

Iran’s proxies have suffered significant setbacks. The regime faces mounting economic challenges. Its regional influence is under pressure. Most importantly, its image of invincibility has been shattered.

This is not the moment for concessions that allow the regime to recover. It is not the moment for agreements that provide economic relief without fundamentally changing Iran’s behavior. It is not the moment to rescue the ayatollahs from the consequences of decades of aggression.

The head of the snake has been wounded. America must ensure that it never regains its strength.

Mr. President, finish the job.