America is Saving the Western Liberal Order from the Iranian Nuclear Menace

After weeks of what Washington insiders described as fruitless negotiations, the United States (US) has shifted decisively from diplomacy to force. Yesterday this newspaper reported that President Donald Trump had announced the start of “major combat operations in Iran”, signalling that the US has concluded talks have failed and that Iran’s military threat must now be dismantled by force.

At the same time, Washington is openly encouraging the Iranian population to rise up against the regime in Tehran, combining military escalation with political pressure.

On balance, these are both good things.

For months, the US attempted to compel Iran to halt its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes through threats, deadlines, and indirect engagement. American officials made clear that enrichment and missile development had to stop. Tehran, however, refused to concede on what it regards as sovereign defence capabilities. As the negotiating window closed without movement, Washington appears to have determined that limited, symbolic strikes would not change Iranian calculations. Instead, it has opted for a broad campaign designed to destroy Iran’s strategic military capacity at its roots.

The initial phase has involved coordinated American and Israeli strikes from the sea and the air. Targets reportedly include nuclear facilities, missile production sites, air defence systems, command-and-control centres, and key naval assets. Trump has declared that the objective is to “totally obliterate” Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capability and to “annihilate their navy”. The language is unambiguous. This is not a calibrated warning shot but an effort to permanently degrade Iran’s ability to project power across the Middle East and the world beyond.

Strategically, the US appears to be pursuing two tracks simultaneously. The first is hard military attrition. By eliminating air defences and long-range strike systems early, Washington aims to establish dominance of Iranian airspace and coastal waters. The second is political revolution. In a direct address to Iranians, Trump stated that the “hour of your freedom is at hand”, positioning America’s campaign as one not only against a regime but on behalf of a population.

Iran has experienced sustained civil unrest in recent weeks, with large protests met by force from security services. American policymakers may be calculating that sustained external military pressure, combined with visible regime vulnerability, could embolden domestic opposition. The hope in Washington appears to be that military degradation from outside could accelerate political collapse from within.

Tehran has responded swiftly. Strikes have reportedly been launched against US allies across the Gulf, including Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. Israel has moved its population into defensive postures, with bomb shelters prepared in anticipation of missile retaliation. The potential for regional escalation is significant, particularly if Iranian proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, or Yemen enter the conflict more directly – although these likely won’t.

The risks for the Americans are substantial. A drawn-out air and naval war could evolve into another prolonged American engagement in the region. Efforts to decapitate the Iranian leadership would carry profound geopolitical consequences and could destabilise neighbouring states that fear the chaos of sudden regime collapse. Gulf monarchies may support degrading Iran’s military power, but they are wary of uncontrolled upheaval.

Yet Washington’s decision suggests that it views inaction as the greater danger, and in this it is most probably right. Diplomacy is meaningless if not backed by hard power. Allowing Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities to mature further would without doubt pose an existential threat to the whole of the Western liberal order. The jihadist chant after all is “first Saturday then Sunday”. Diplomacy has been attempted. Deadlines have passed. Now the US has gone all in, seeking not merely to contain Iran but to break its military strength and, if circumstances permit, to hasten a popular overthrow of the regime itself. For this, the world should thank it.