World War II officially began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Some might contend that it actually began in March of 1938, when Germany annexed Austria. Others would say it began with the Munich Agreement, which was an appeasement pact orchestrated by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in September of 1938. Chamberlain has gone down in history as the “Great Appeaser.” America did not enter the war until the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Many lives could have been saved had the United States entered the war earlier.
The killing by Iran-backed drone of Sgt. William Rivers, Spc. Brenna Moffett, and Spc. Kennedy Sanders, and the wounding of 25 other American troops in Jordan, should have triggered a “Pearl Harbor” moment. So far it has not. Will President Biden finally realize that Iran has to be neutralized|? Regime change in Iran has not happened. I wish it had. There were opportunities. America is left with one choice: Take out Iran’s nuclear capabilities and watch the regime crumble.
There are many benefits to confronting Iran head on. All of Iran’s proxies will go into hiding. Hamas, which unleashed a savage attack against Israel on October 7, will be finished. Hezbollah will be broken and the Houthis will be routed. Rather than acting like Neville Chamberlain, if President Biden acted like President Roosevelt and seized the moment, the world would be in a better place. So I ask the question: “What are we waiting for?” The time has come to act. America has allowed Iran to not only advance its nuclear program to the point of being weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon, but also has permitted Iran to develop ballistic missiles capable of reaching 1,243 miles with a 3,300-pound warhead. Iran can now strike Israel and US targets in the region.
Although Israel can do the job, it has its hands full dealing with the war against Hamas. America, as the leader of the free world, should finally bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. After more than 150 strikes by Iranian proxies against American troops since mid-October 2023, the shutting down of Red Sea shipping by Houthi attacks, and the drone strike against American troops in Jordan, America has total justification to take on Iran directly. We are running out of time. Iran has been allowed to plague the world for far too long.
Joseph M. Frager is a physician and lifelong activist.
