OPINON: For U.S., the only option in Iran is swift and decisive victory

Operation Epic Fury has elicited a broad range of emotions from Americans: shock, surprise, hesitancy, and, perhaps most potently of all: fear. What’s the end game in Iran? Now that conflict has erupted, what’s the best solution to end it?

Opinion-editorial by Summer Lane | March 9, 2026

As the United States enters its tenth day of Operation Epic Fury, the nation – and the world – are trepidatiously waiting to see whether this large-scale Middle East combat mission will end in long-term war, or whether the U.S. military will achieve its short-term objectives.

It’s only fair to be hesitant to accept any narrative about modern warfare. After all, President Trump strongly campaigned on the posture of “No New Wars” and proved himself to consistently be the “President of Peace.” From negotiating historic trade and peace deals around the world to achieving the release of all Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, from Hamas, his inclination toward peace is truly remarkable.

So, the question remains: why strike Iran so violently, and why do it right now?

As reported previously on LindellTV, the strike was preemptive, according to the Secretary of State. The Israeli military was already poised to attack Iran, Americans have been told, which would have put the U.S. in immediate danger. If this is truly what happened, Americans have every right to be a little disgruntled with Israel, its closest ally in the region. It certainly looks like Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu dragged the U.S. into this conflict, although the Trump administration has been quick to deny this.

Regardless of how the conflict began, the U.S. is now locked into a full-scale war with Iran, and although the White House is careful not to use that term, what other word is appropriate for utterly grinding an entire country, its navy, its air force, and its leadership into dust?

For it is war indeed, whether it is short-term or long-term, that has exploded overseas, and for President Trump to maintain his legacy as a “President of Peace” – and to ensure that Vice President J.D. Vance can win the White House in 2028 – the only way out of this Iranian conflict is to go quickly through it.

Too late to turn back now

Nobody likes war. Nobody, that is, except for the warmongers who profit from it and the nation-states that benefit from forced regime change. But as the U.S. engages in joint military operations with Israel, the Pentagon has made it clear that the objectives of this war are short-term: destroy the missile and nuclear capabilities of Iran and destroy the Iranian Navy.

As long as it stays that way, President Trump can easily maintain his policy of “peace through strength” by appropriately achieving these goals and then getting out of Iran as soon as possible.

Initially, the White House projected the combat operation in Iran to last four to six weeks, but on Monday, the president told CBS Senior White House Correspondent Weija Jiang, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.”

He also told her that the U.S. was “very far” ahead of schedule.

“They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute, or it’s going to be the end of that country,” he added.

The president’s comments suggest that the U.S. military is doing exactly what most Americans want him to do here: achieve the stated objectives as quickly as possible and go home, without ever entertaining the possibility of deploying troops on the ground.

And, to the president’s credit, despite fearmongering online, he very firmly told The Post this week that he was “nowhere near” sending U.S. servicemembers into Iran.

“We’re nowhere near it,” he remarked.

This, too, is welcome news. Deploying troops on the ground in Iran would be a catastrophe for America – not only would it result in needless loss of life, but it would also be calamitous for the entire world. The economy would suffer, and the region – stabilized greatly by our alliances with countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar – would be destroyed. Russia and China would only benefit from the chaos, and the U.S. would, once again, be locked into a terrible conflict abroad while domestic issues went unassuaged.

“To the media outlets and political left screaming ‘endless wars’: STOP,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said last week. “This is not Iraq, this is not endless. I was there for both. Our generation knows better, and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation-building wars ‘dumb,’ and he’s right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.”

It is comforting to know that this administration at least purports to understand Americans’ fatigue with useless foreign conflicts. While this operation may have been triggered for extremely valid reasons, the only way to save this nation from the fiery grip of bloodthirsty warmongers and malicious actors is to defeat Iran swiftly – and to leave the desert behind.

The focus must be on the home front. Very few Americans support foreign military operations, and so, if President Trump’s legacy is to be preserved – and if Republicans want to win the White House in 2028 – returning to peacetime must be the top priority above all else.

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