President Trump’s blunt call for an end to the current Iranian regime is exactly the kind of leadership America needs in dark times. Speaking to reporters and outlets over the weekend, he made clear that the status quo in Tehran must not be allowed to stand while innocent Iranians are slaughtered by their own government. His words cut through Washington rhetoric and reminded the world that strength and moral clarity still matter in American foreign policy.
The backdrop to his demand is a humanitarian catastrophe inside Iran, where huge anti-regime demonstrations have been met with a brutal crackdown that independent reporting says has left thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested. Tehran even imposed a near-total internet blackout to hide its atrocities from the world, revealing the true nature of a regime that governs by fear. Americans who value human dignity should be outraged that the global left looks the other way while Iranian citizens pay with their lives.
Trump didn’t mince words when he labeled Ayatollah Khamenei a “sick man” blaming him directly for the bloodshed and saying it’s time for new leadership in Iran. Those are the kinds of unapologetic statements our allies respect and our enemies fear — the opposite of the timid statements we’ve grown accustomed to from career diplomats and spineless bureaucrats. It’s leadership to call evil what it is and to stand openly with those who seek freedom.
At the same time, the Trump administration has not been all talk: U.S. forces and assets — including carrier strike groups and advanced fighter squadrons — are being maneuvered in the region to deter further atrocities and signal that America backs its words with force. That posture of peace through strength is the policy that keeps Americans safe and gives courage to the oppressed abroad. Any politician who tells you diplomacy alone will stop a regime that shoots its own people is either naive or complicit.
Critics on the left will howl that this is reckless brinkmanship, but the real recklessness was appeasement and moral equivocation that allowed Iran to grow bolder for years. We should never apologize for supporting human life and liberty, and we should never tolerate a government that executes and tortures to stay in power. If that makes some elites uncomfortable, so be it — Americans understand that sometimes the defense of freedom requires standing tall and acting decisively.
Tehran’s leadership is lashing out with threats and bluster, trying to scare international audiences into silence while it continues its bloody campaign at home. The world is watching whether the United States will stand with the brave Iranians who risk everything for liberty or whether it will fall back into the old patterns of moral cowardice. A strong America must make clear that threats will be met and that support for the oppressed is nonnegotiable.
To patriotic Americans and to the Christian community, this is a moment to pray and to act — to back officials who will use every diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military tool to protect innocent lives and to topple regimes that murder their own people. Congress should rally behind a policy of maximum pressure and clear support for human dignity, not political theater that leaves persecuted people abandoned. If we stand united and resolute, America can be the beacon of freedom once again and force a change that honors both our values and the memory of those who have suffered.
