COMMENTARY Middle East

Are the Iran Strikes a Good Idea?

Mar 6, 2026 1 min read

Asher Fredman

Visiting Fellow, Allison Center for National Security

Asher Fredman is a Visiting Fellow in the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation.

U.S. President Donald Trump sits at a table monitoring military operations during Operation Epic Fury against Iran in Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2026. The White House via X Account / Anadolu / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

The Iranian regime is responsible for the deaths of many hundreds of Americans. The regime’s rallying cry is “Death to America.”

Operation Epic Fury will go down in history not only as a good idea but as one of the most consequential decisions in military history.

If the U.S. and Israel stay the course and create the conditions for the ayatollahs’ downfall, this would be a major blow to Iran’s entire axis of terror.

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Yes. This is a big step toward a safer Middle East.

The Iranian regime is responsible for the deaths of many hundreds of Americans. The regime’s rallying cry is “Death to America.” It attacks and undermines U.S. allies across the Middle East, from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain to Jordan to Israel, while seeking to develop missile and nuclear capabilities that threaten the United States. President Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, in partnership with Israel, will go down in history not only as a good idea but as one of the most consequential decisions in military history.

Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan. It has a highly educated opposition dedicated to building an open, democratic and moderate future. If the U.S. and Israel stay the course and create the conditions for the ayatollahs’ downfall, this would be a major blow to Iran’s entire axis of terror, and a major step forward in shaping a stable, secure and prosperous Middle East.

This letter response originally appeared in NOTUS