The Confused and Complicated World of the Right’s Iran Strike Critics

Assuming the cease-fire Donald Trump negotiated between the U.S., Israel, and Iran holds — some confusion over the timing of that arrangement notwithstanding — the twelve-day war over Iran’s nuclear program concluded early this morning. For the Islamic republic, it was a comprehensive debacle.

Three years ago, Iran had Israel encircled. Its terrorist armies in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen retained immense firepower and routinely threatened U.S. and Israeli interests — often violently. The Islamic republic’s nuclear weapons program was intact. Indeed, the Biden administration was quietly negotiating an “interim” agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. That agreement would have provided Tehran with yet more funds that it could divert to projecting terrorism abroad, repressing dissent at home, and, after an arbitrary period of stasis, smoothing its pathway to a bomb. Everything was coming up mullahs.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Assuming the cease-fire Donald Trump negotiated between the U.S., Israel, and Iran holds — some confusion over the timing of that arrangement notwithstanding — the twelve-day war over Iran’s nuclear program concluded early this morning. For the Islamic republic, it was a comprehensive debacle.

Three years ago, Iran had Israel encircled. Its terrorist armies in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen retained immense firepower and routinely threatened U.S. and Israeli interests — often violently. The Islamic republic’s nuclear weapons program was intact. Indeed, the Biden administration was quietly negotiating an “interim” agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. That agreement would have provided Tehran with yet more funds that it could divert to projecting terrorism abroad, repressing dissent at home, and, after an arbitrary period of stasis, smoothing its pathway to a bomb. Everything was coming up mullahs.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.