Jewish Issues Watchdog

Mr. President, finish the job in Iran and free the world from this hideous regime. …Now is the time to finish them off, end their control of the Strait of Hormuz, and end their support of global terrorism.
…So far the ayatollahs have kept no promises, made no meaningful peace offers, and thumbed their noses at America and at you. It is time to finish the job, get full control of the strait, and seek peace from a position of maximum strength.

Opinion | Don’t Leave the Iran War Half-Won It is time to finish the job in Iran and seek peace from a position of maximum strength.

How to Finish the Job in Iran

From WSJ

By Seth Cropsey

President Trump faced a choice between two options last month—escalation or capitulation. He chose neither. Instead, he sought a middle road by blockading Iran’s oil capacity. He faces the same choice a month later, only now with less-favorable macroeconomics. Mr. Trump may be able to compel Iran to seek peace. But if not, this time he needs to be willing to follow through on the threat of catastrophic force. That means preparing for a multistage operation, including boots on the ground, that forcibly reopens the Strait of Hormuz to accelerate the collapse of the Iranian state.

Launching the war against Iran was strategically prudent. The regime is an inveterate enemy of the U.S. It has on its hands the blood of thousands of Americans in Iraq and elsewhere. It works closely with Russia, China, North Korea and until recently Venezuela in their efforts to undermine the U.S. It supports proxy terrorist organizations, notably Hezbollah, which destabilize the Middle East and provide Iran with direct connections to organized crime. The Islamic Republic also seeks a nuclear weapon. Since the mid-2000s, the regime has refashioned the state around the objective of building nuclear capabilities, combined with a growing arsenal of missiles and drones that it has unleashed against Israel and the Gulf states.

…Mr. Trump has a narrow window in which to end this crisis favorably, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and ensure an economic rebound while securing American interests and prestige. But that requires deploying the full spectrum of American power.

First, the U.S. should prepare a major series of strikes against Iranian communications, transportation and other infrastructure, while concurrently unleashing the Israeli air force against remaining Iranian industries. Iran’s metallurgical industry, a pillar of its state-backed economy, is badly damaged. Coordinating with Israeli attacks on these targets while disrupting Iranian military movement would cripple virtually every industry for Iran except oil production.

Two additional operations would target the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian uranium storage in Isfahan. The former would be principally against Qeshm Island, in concert with the United Arab Emirates, which has attacked Iran many times during the war. Qeshm and its surrounding islands are the key to the strait. The latter operation should aim to seize nuclear material. By rescuing a downed pilot in early April, the U.S. demonstrated it can operate in the area effectively.

Finally, the U.S. should attack remaining Iranian tanker capacity inside the Strait of Hormuz. The faster we destroy Iran’s floating oil storage, the more the country’s economy will feel the squeeze.

Defeating Iran is paramount. On a successful outcome rests the credibility of American deterrence, the safety of international sea lanes, a return to the normalcy of global energy markets, and the regional stability that is key to all these goods. The president should finish what he rightly started.

Opinion | How to Finish the Job in Iran If the regime refuses to capitulate, Trump will have to deploy the full spectrum of U.S. power.