Benjamin Netanyahu told the world that he and former President Donald Trump have fulfilled a solemn promise: to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, pointing to the combined Israeli and American strikes this summer as proof that “peace through strength” is not an empty slogan. His comments, made amid United Nations debate over renewed sanctions on Tehran, underline a hard truth that many in the diplomatic class have long tried to avoid confronting.
Operation Rising Lion was the most audacious Israeli air campaign in recent memory, striking dozens of targets across Iran and hitting key nuclear infrastructure at sites such as Natanz. Military analysts and open-source intelligence observed significant damage to above-ground enrichment facilities, and the operation demonstrated Israel’s willingness to act decisively when Western restraint left dangerous gaps.
When the United States followed with precision strikes against Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in late June, it sent an unmistakable signal that American power still matters and that nuclear blackmail will not be tolerated. The strikes, which U.S. officials described as severely damaging Iran’s enrichment capacity, complemented Israeli action and set back Tehran’s march toward a bomb. Satellite imagery and reporting since then show Iran scrambling to harden or relocate parts of its program.
Netanyahu’s gratitude toward President Trump was unmistakable: he called the joint action a historic fulfillment of a vow to dismantle the Iranian nuclear threat, and he insisted that any attempt by Tehran to rebuild will be met with the same resolve. That blunt realism is precisely what kept a catastrophe from unfolding — a lesson too few in the international community want to learn.
Yet the fight is far from over: independent reporting shows Iran accelerating construction at deep underground sites and warning that it may limit cooperation with the IAEA if sanctions snap back. The snapback of U.N. penalties is a necessary lever to constrain Tehran, but it must be paired with continued intelligence pressure and military readiness to ensure the regime cannot simply wait us out.
This episode should put to rest the failed experiment of appeasement — soft talk and sanctions bouts without teeth only invite aggression. Conservatives who have long argued for strength in defense and clarity in policy were proven right: deterrence backed by credible force protects lives and preserves peace far better than endless negotiations that reward bad actors.
America and Israel demonstrated what responsible leadership looks like in a dangerous world, but responsibility does not end with one campaign. Lawmakers and leaders must maintain the readiness, funding, and political will to deter future threats, support robust intelligence cooperation, and insist that any diplomatic path be backed by the unmistakable option of force if Iran returns to its old ways.
