The United States and Israel have pushed back hard against Iran’s regional aggression, and this article argues that the fight is necessary, justified, and requires full political and financial backing from Republicans. It condemns left-wing and clerical critics who downplay Iran’s brutality, calls for Congress to fund continued operations and allied support, and urges patriotic leaders and informed clergy to stand with the troops and Israel.
We are winning a consequential fight with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that matters for American security and our allies in the Gulf. The human cost has been real: seven U.S. service members dead, many more wounded, and Israeli fighters and civilians killed by the IRGC’s wide lashings across the region. This is not a far-off or theoretical threat; it’s an active, violent campaign directed by a regime that represses its own people and exports terror abroad.
Some on the American left, and shockingly some Catholic cardinals, have reacted by attacking U.S. policy instead of confronting a murderous regime. That is a political posture, not a moral one, and it ignores the stakes for parishioners who have loved ones in uniform. When clergy trade national security reality for partisan posturing, they risk alienating congregations and weakening support for troops on the front lines.
For those who doubt how brutal Iran’s rulers are, remember that they slaughtered an estimated 35,000 of their own citizens during internal crackdowns over a short span. The Revolutionary Guard Corps numbers in the hundreds of thousands, backed by millions of militia recruits through groups like the Basij. Those forces are the backbone of a theocratic state that brutalizes dissent and sponsors proxy wars across the Middle East.
HEGSETH BLASTS BRITS, SAYS IRAN’S CHAOTIC RETALIATION HAS DRIVEN ITS OWN ALLIES ‘INTO THE AMERICAN ORBIT’
The left’s historic amnesia about Iran is astonishing: from the original hostage crisis to the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, to Khobar Towers and the long campaign of assassination and guerrilla warfare, Iran has a track record of terror. They even harmed and killed U.S. troops during the Iraq conflict after 2003, which anyone paying attention would remember. Yet some Democrats and clerics act as if appeasement or moral equivalence is the right response.
Congressional Republicans should loudly affirm that the Islamic Republic is a malignant terrorist regime and back the administration’s efforts to neutralize its strike capabilities. Leaders like Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, General Caine, Mike Johnson and John Thune—along with the GOP majorities—should make clear that America will not tolerate a regime that threatens nuclear blackmail or regional conquest. The military is performing impressively; political leaders must match that resolve with policy and funding.
The time for a robust resupply is now; the military needs munitions, replenishment and multi-year commitments to sustain pressure and deter future aggression. That includes backing Israel with the hardware and financial support it requires to defend itself. Proposals like a rapid reconciliation to fund the Golden Dome and the Golden Fleet may sound bold, but decisive logistics and force posture win wars and prevent worse conflicts later.
MICHAEL OREN: IRAN HAS WAGED WAR ON AMERICA FOR 47 YEARS — TIME TO END IT
When Iran launched indiscriminate strikes at neighbors, firing everything it could at countries that were not even involved, it exposed its revolutionary, unpredictable nature. In that moment the regime acted in a way that left no room for doubt about intent or cruelty, recalling how rogue powers in history have brought wider war on themselves. The analogy to Germany’s declaration after Pearl Harbor is stark: a reckless choice that only invited stronger opposition.
President Trump’s decision to halt Iran’s enrichment and weaponization programs, including Operation Midnight Hammer, was a fulfillment of long-standing bipartisan promises to prevent a nuclear Iran. Tehran had chances to step back and negotiate, but they doubled down, accumulating missiles and proxies instead. When diplomacy failed, force and pressure became the tools left to stop a regime that could not be trusted with nukes or a massive missile arsenal.
74 RETIRED US GENERALS, ADMIRALS BACK IRAN STRIKES, WARN TEHRAN SEEKS TO ‘SPILL AMERICAN BLOOD’
Critics who claim the U.S. has breached international law are either ignorant of the facts or cynically rewriting history to suit partisan narratives. The mountain of evidence about Iran’s bloodshed at home and abroad cannot be wished away by tract-like sermons from left-leaning clerics. Catholics and other Americans should demand that their leaders, political and religious, align moral clarity with support for the troops and the defense of allies.
The Republican Party should reclaim the language of right and wrong and stand proud in defense of liberty and order. The stakes are not abstract: they are the lives of service members, Israeli citizens, and Gulf partners, and the future of a region threatened by a revolutionary regime. Elected Republicans must act boldly now, both rhetorically and in appropriations, so America and its allies remain secure.
