On the night of Saturday, June 21st, 2025, American Air Force bombers struck nuclear facilities believed to hold the technology that would make Iran a nuclear power. It was the first direct American intervention in Iran in years, and it may have come at the right time. Iran’s consistent threat as a key funder of terrorist organizations and its constant conflict with Israel make a nuclear Iran a threat to global safety. The strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, regardless of how effective they were, are crucial in ensuring that Iran never develops a nuclear program.
The purpose of striking Iran’s nuclear facilities was twofold. First, it would hopefully destroy any uranium that it had enriched enough to be used in a nuclear weapon. Second, it aimed to destroy the centrifuges needed to further enrich their uranium stockpiles. If either of these things were to happen, it would be very damaging for Iran, and if both were accomplished, the setbacks for Iran would be enough to curb its nuclear ambitions for years. Conflicting reports about the effectiveness of the strikes are still being discussed, but either way, the threat of a nuclear Iran is so large that American intervention was necessary to prevent it.
Indeed, Iran is a key backer of the largest terror groups in the Middle East, specifically Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. A 2023 Atlantic Council report finds that Iran spends more than $700 million annually to fund terrorist organizations around the world, and it openly supported Hamas’ assault against the Israelis on October 7th. While reports vary on how heavily involved Iran was with the attack, it is undeniable that they financed and helped plan many aspects of the Hamas operation, which culminated in the events on that day. With such deep ties to terrorist groups, a world in which Iran has nuclear capabilities is treacherous. Fearing retaliation from other countries, Iran itself may refrain from using nuclear weapons, but could find it enticing to give these weapons to terror groups, who have no problem engaging in destructive exchanges in which there is no winner. It is this connection with extremists that makes it necessary for American leadership to launch such an attack on Iran.
Many who were opposed to the assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities cite the strikes as a reason groups affiliated with Iran may attack Americans in the future, but the reality is that, currently, most of those groups are too weak to do any damage, as is Iran. This brief conflict with Israel has exposed Iran’s lack of military capabilities. They were dominated in the air by American and Israeli planes, and failed to muster a strong enough response to break through the defenses Israel has in place now.
Iran and its proxies with a nuclear bomb, however, would be significantly more threatening, making it so much more paramount that the United States steps in and takes all actions to prevent this from ever becoming a possibility. Proxy terror groups view war as a way to promote their agenda, and typically do not have a set of civilians they are concerned about protecting, so they would have no issue using nuclear weapons. It would also be a way for Iran to attack its enemies without having to take responsibility, as they could simply shift blame to terror organizations already in direct conflict with the West. If we look to countries like Pakistan or North Korea, their negotiating power expanded enormously after developing nuclear weapons. As a country that is already in the center of violent religious conflicts, Iran would seize any extra advantage it could take and abuse it.
To make things worse, consider the regional players. It is the worst-kept secret in the world that Israel possesses nuclear weapons of their own. If Iran were to develop nuclear weapons, Israel would try to beat Iran to the punch and launch weapons of their own first. Iran, on the other hand, would likely understand that Israel would attempt to strike first, and therefore may launch a nuclear weapon of their own much faster. This state of play would create a precarious situation in the Middle East, where each country could preemptively strike the other, making it a race to strike first. Eliminating the ability for Iran to have nuclear weapons also eliminates that race between the two countries, and keeps the whole region more stable.
For the time being, a ceasefire keeps a fragile peace. But it is important to note that the ceasefire was only agreed upon after the American strikes, suggesting that, absent American intervention, Iran would have continued the war, and possibly even planned to use weapons of mass destruction. Since Iran began the ceasefire after their nuclear facilities had been bombed and possibly destroyed, they may have intended to fight until they could use a nuclear weapon, which means any damage the US inflicted on their facilities is very important when it comes to preventing a full-scale nuclear attack.
By all measurements, the importance of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon outweighs any risks that American intervention brings. The purpose of being the most powerful military in the world is to ensure that when situations arise, the US can step in and control the direction of global developments. It is critical to ensure that further American intervention is measured and calculative, but a single strike, which had been carefully planned for years, is exactly what the US should use its power for, and is an appropriate assertion of global dominance.
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