The Islamic Republic of Iran is America's Problem Too

'America First' means first stopping the Iranian Regime

America has nothing to do with Iran; we must put ‘America First,’ Tucker Carlson and his supporters claim. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) stated that Israel’s strike on Iran goes against American interests and jeopardizes American and Israeli lives. Bernie Sanders (D-VA) asserted, “The U.S. must make it clear that we will not be dragged into another Netanyahu war.” Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) joined the chorus, saying that Americans don’t want to bomb Iran for Israel, and that she doesn’t “know anyone that even thinks about Iran” in her district.

Since Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, we have seen a marriage between factions of the MAGA right and the Progressive left. These isolationist camps are making a grave mistake.

If Israel’s failure to prevent the October 7th massacre taught the world anything, it is the cost of hubris and underestimating threats. For years, Israel believed that Hamas, just across its border, couldn’t mount the large-scale attack it waged on that deadly Saturday.

Those who dismissed Hamas as no threat to Israel before October 7th sound remarkably similar to those now claiming Iran poses no threat to America. A nuclear weapon in the Ayatollah’s sinister hands eradicates possibilities for lasting peace, global stability, and an “America First” agenda.

“Death to America,” the Ayatollah has proclaimed. His claim that this statement is aimed only at American leadership, not America itself, is as delusional as believing Hamas’s revised charter when it says its war is only with Israel, not Jewish people. Hamas operates on Iran’s stamp. We should know better.

Underestimation, hubris, and complacency are the perfect recipe for disaster. These are precisely the traits enemies exploit as they lurk in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been a known threat for years.

Americans have watched years of rocket barrages—funded, armed, and directed by Iran—rain on Israeli civilian hubs. The source fueling those missiles is the very same one behind the drug cartels that have endangered tens of thousands of American lives.

There is a clear connection between the drug trade and the financing of terrorist organizations and rogue state actors, including the Iranian regime. Members and affiliates of Hezbollah’s money laundering network have been known to collaborate with South American drug cartels that have contributed to a nationwide drug epidemic, the destabilization of South America, violence, and border infiltration.

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wanted to designate the cartels a terrorist organization, much like those who take seriously the threat of the Iranian regime. Why would she back out of the fight now?

The sirens are wailing on American soil. For the supreme leader, the United States is the “Great Satan” and Israel is the “little Satan.” We should be grateful that Israel is standing up for America and the free world before Iran wins the race to the bomb.

The idea that a simple non-proliferation deal between the U.S. and Iran brokered through diplomatic talks could be credible is a fantasy born of Western naïveté. The Iranian regime is not necessarily a rational actor that can be trusted to comply with Western persuasions.

The lingua franca in the Middle East is ultimate strength, and the modus operandi of Iran’s Shiite ideology is jihadic imperialism: the establishment of an Islamic regime throughout the Middle East, and eventually, the world. This is a reality where democracy is replaced with autocracy, women are beaten and killed for not wearing headscarves, and freedom of thought and speech is non-existent.

Crowned Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman dubbed Iran’s Supreme Leader the “New Hitler.” In the Prince’s words, “we don’t want the new Hitler in Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East.” Indeed, a new Hitler would effectively leave more problems in the hands of the United States and the West.

Iran is trying to hijack political disagreements in America by emboldening anti-establishment Americans to cheer on its terror proxies. Remember when the Ayatollah applauded anti-Israel protesters on campuses for “standing on the right side” of history?

These campus disruptions didn’t end with destructive demonstrations. These impressionable, radicalized minds are incited to advance Iran’s “Death to America” mission by targeting those who embody democratic values—from Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. to lovers of Zion pleading for the release of Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado.

Isolationists on both ends of the American political spectrum—the right seeking American strength through foreign disentanglements, and the left distancing itself from entering a war, especially with Israel—dismiss a critical truth: Deterring a nuclear Iran is the key to minimizing long-term U.S. intervention in the Middle East and preserving a world order where liberal, democratic principles can thrive.

Israel’s relationship is important to the United States for many reasons. Now, Israel is sending America a message: to remain vigilant against every threat, notably those that appear deceptive and willing to negotiate while making statements that reveal their true intentions.

Putting America First requires confronting Iran. Allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear bomb, or simply trusting diplomatic solutions to make a ‘deal’, would place the West in the jaws of an Axis of Evil.