OPINION:
“U.S. forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. ET today,” U.S. Central Command posted on X on Wednesday evening. “The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East.”
Why are U.S. strikes always just a response to Iranian aggression? The U.S. needs to finish the job with Iran, end these tit-for-tat strikes and start targeting what is left of the Iranian leadership, as they will never enter good faith negotiations with the U.S.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has taken advantage of every U.S. pause in military action. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported: “Iran has quickly rebuilt its infrastructure damaged during the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign in recent months, from missile bases nestled deep inside mountains to bridges, ports and production facilities, according to Israeli and Western officials and a review of satellite imagery.”
It has been reported that in the coming weeks, Iran is slated to receive its first shipment of shoulder-fired missile launchers from China, including up to 400 man-portable air defense systems, complete with Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, to be delivered to Iran via Pakistan.
On Wednesday evening, Egyptian authorities blamed the IRGC for a drone attack on the Suez Canal, which set fire to two ships, including a U.S. gas storage tanker. Although no country or group has taken responsibility for the strike, the Damietta Port, which was targeted, houses a key liquefied natural gas hub, and the Suez Canal has been seen as a safe workaround for transporting oil, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC is clearly not backing down and believes it can withstand whatever pain the U.S. chooses to inflict, which has been severe. The U.S. military has achieved major tactical successes, destroying 85% of Iran’s missile and drone industrial base, sinking more than 90% of its regular naval fleet and crippling its air defense and nuclear infrastructure. The U.S. military naval blockade against Iran has decimated its economy, with hyperinflation at 88.6% and its currency completely devalued.
Still, the IRGC remains defiant — as this is an ideological war for them, not a political one. This Shiite Islamist fundamentalism means absolute political and religious subordination to Iran’s supreme leader, with a mission to protect and spread Islamic revolutionary ideals beyond Iran’s borders to ultimately dominate the world. There is no negotiating with this ideology, as there are no reasonable, rational actors within it. It is simply incompatible with Western values.
Therefore, no amount of aerial bombing will force the IRGC to give up. Tit-for-tat military action will only lead President Trump into one of those “forever wars” he ran against on the campaign trail. Decisive military action is needed, which includes wiping out the IRGC so the Iranian people can retake control of their country.
If Mr. Trump really wants to make a statement, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the chief justice of Iran who oversees the torture and forced confessions of Iranian dissidents, should be assassinated. Iran’s current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, needs to be eliminated. The Israelis, who executed a wide campaign of targeted strikes in early 2026, have demonstrated that they have the intelligence to successfully strike and kill top IRGC leadership.
Regarding ballistic missiles and military infrastructure, The Wall Street Journal reports that Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the U.S. Central Command, presented the president with a 14-day punishing air campaign against Iran.
“This ’go big’ approach, which is among a series of options he has developed, would reduce the need for the U.S. to use defensive munitions because Iran would have less capability to attack,” The Journal said. The U.S. reportedly has a dwindling supply of air defense interceptors, which are being used in the region to protect U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq against Iranian drone strikes. Eliminating the IRGC and its strike capabilities would allow those interceptors to be used elsewhere in the world.
Yes, a larger military action in Iran will most likely be a political liability for the president. Oil prices will spike, and more American lives will be lost.
However, failing to finish the job is the greater political liability. The quicker the Trump administration can put this conflict behind it, the better. This means decimating the IRGC, through whatever means necessary. Anything less falls short of victory.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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