This is an opinion column

Has America won its war with Iran? Is Iran no longer a threat?

Trump and the White House assert victory by claiming Iran’s nuclear capability has been “obliterated” and that Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been set back, at a minimum, many years.

Perhaps I’ve become too much of a skeptic from seeing President Donald Trump so often misrepresent facts or claim “the greatest victory ever” when no victory was had, or perhaps the abundance of conflicting damage reports troubles me, but I submit the goal of a nuclear-free Iran is nowhere near achieved.

There simply are too many unanswered questions.

Art of deception

In November and December, 1941, Japan’s ambassadors actively promoted peaceful resolution of Japan’s conflicts with America even after the Japanese fleet left Japan on November 18 for its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan’s deception (lies) and power combined to help destroy much of America’s Pacific fleet.

In 1944, America and its allies did everything they could to deceive Hitler and Nazi Germany into believing their D-Day invasion to liberate Europe would be at Calais (about 200 miles away from its actual invasion on the beaches of Normandy).

Allied deception (lies), coupled with power, deceived Germany into diverting substantial military resources to Calais, thus helping to ensure the Allies won the D-Day fight in Normandy and ultimately defeat Germany.

In war, deception, lying and power literally are “The Art of the Deal.”

Fortunately for America, as Commander in Chief, Donald Trump has proven himself very effective at all three.

That gave the United States a strong start in stopping the Iran nuclear program. But is this over?

Too many questions

Israel attacked Iran on June 13. America waited NINE days to attack Iran on June 22.

• Where was Iran’s uranium stockpile on June 22, when America attacked? While the Trump White House insists Iran’s estimated 900 pounds of 60% enriched uranium was at the three sites “obliterated” by America, Israel and America are also insisting that Iran give up its uranium stockpile (a tacit admission Iran still has access to its uranium stockpile).
• Where did Iran operate its uranium enrichment centrifuges on June 22, when America attacked?  Were all centrifuges in the facilities America attacked? Or had Iran moved them elsewhere?
• If elsewhere, how many centrifuges escaped damage from America’s attack and how quickly can they successfully enrich enough 60% uranium to weapons grade?
• Why did Trump give Iran NINE days in which to move enriched uranium and centrifuges out of sites America ultimately bombed?
• America damaged Iran’s Natanz nuclear weapons facility. Natanz abuts Pickaxe Mountain, another potential Iran nuclear weapons facility that is carved out of a mountain even bigger than the Fordow nuclear complex that American bunker buster bombs hit.

Why was Pickaxe Mountain not attacked? Is Pickaxe Mountain beyond the capabilities of America’s bunker buster bombs? Are any of Iran’s centrifuges or its enriched uranium stored in Pickaxe Mountain?

Iran sees America as its enemy

This not a new conflict.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a decades old DC-based research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. It lists attacks by Iran’s military or surrogates against Americans.

Highlights include Iran’s US Embassy abductions (1979, 66 American hostages), Beirut Embassy bombing (1983, 17 dead Americans), Beirut Marine compound bombing (1983, 220 dead Americans), Khobar Air Force housing bombing (1996, 19 dead Americans), Kenya and Tanzania USA Embassy bombings (1998, 12 dead Americans), assisting 9/11 suicide attackers’ training (2001, 2,976 dead), helping Iran-backed militias in Iraq (2003-2011, 603 dead Americans), ballistic missile attack on Ain Al-Asad USA airbase (2020, 100+ U.S. troops suffered traumatic brain injuries), and helping Hamas attack Israel (2024, 48 dead Americans, 12 Americans kidnapped).

The list adds up to 3,000 American civilians and military personnel who were killed.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declares “‘Death to America’ means death to Trump and [national security advisor] John Bolton and [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo.” Khamenei adds “Death to America” is not just a slogan, it is an official policy of the Iranian government.

When someone says they want to kill you, you better pay attention!

Necessary action

For decades, the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons has troubled American leaders.

Would Iran directly or indirectly use nuclear weapons on the “Little Satan” (Israel) or “Great Satan” (United States)?

The world has not seen the military use of nuclear weapons since 1945’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Why not?

Most credit goes to the Mutually Assured Destruction Doctrine (“MADD”) that says, “If you use nuclear weapons on me, I will use nuclear weapons on you, and we will both be dead.” Since rational countries don’t want to commit mutual suicide, no nuclear exchanges have occurred.

The problem with MADD and Iran having nuclear weapons is two-fold. First, Iran has proven itself very skilled at using surrogates to kill Jews and Americans (Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.).

If the attacked country does not know who detonated a nuclear weapon on its soil, who does it counter-attack with nuclear weapons? Will MADD deter?

Second, Iran’s leaders see Iran as a theocracy guided by Allah, religion, and ideology. Will an Iranian government that thinks like 9/11 suicide killers welcome death as a fair exchange for whatever death and destruction they can inflict on the Great Satan and Little Satan?

If so, and if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, will the threat of their own death, or the sacrifice of the Iranian population, deter them . . . or encourage them?

These are tough questions.

In my view, the risk is too great that Iran’s leadership is willing to sacrifice tens of millions of its own people in a nuclear exchange if, in the process, it can destroy the Little Satan (Israel) and bring the Great Satan (America) to its knees.

Hence, I strongly support America doing whatever is necessary to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Iran and hornets’ nests

But when I think of America’s attack on Iran, I think of a kid with a stick who whacks a hornets’ nest, walks away all smiles, and declares victory . . . not noticing the swarm of hornets approaching from the rear.

I think too many of America’s leaders are ignoring the lesson America learned from Vietnam. If you are going to engage in war, you better be prepared to destroy the enemy no matter what it costs, no matter how ugly it gets.

If you are unwilling to do what it takes to win a war, then don’t engage in war in the first place.

One good punch in the enemy’s face, standing alone, simply does not cut it.

President Trump hit the hornets’ nest. If he does not kill ‘em, if he does not achieve total victory, America will get stung. Perhaps badly.

President Trump ordered military action against Iran. Now he must do what it takes to win. And winning is nothing short of forever denying Iran access to nuclear weapons.

The Iran/America conflict is far from over.

Mo Brooks served on the House Armed Services Committee for 12 years and the Foreign Affairs Committee for 6 years. Brooks graduated from Duke University in 3 years with a double major in political science and economics (highest honors in economics).