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America Must Stand Up to Iran’s Nuclear Threat — Before It’s Too Late

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 25, 2025. Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
The specter of a nuclear-armed Iran looms larger than ever, with Tehran aggressively advancing its uranium enrichment program and openly defying international pressure.
Despite previous diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions, Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain unchecked, posing a dire threat to regional stability and global security. At the heart of this crisis lies an urgent question: will the United States stand firmly against this threat — and stand firmly beside its closest Middle Eastern ally, Israel, to prevent an existential catastrophe?
Iran’s nuclear program has entered a dangerous new phase, with intelligence reports indicating uranium enrichment nearing weapons-grade levels. The Islamic Republic has long claimed that its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, but the evidence suggests otherwise. The fact that Iran continues to develop ballistic missile technology — capable of carrying nuclear warheads — only reinforces the fears of its adversaries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed military threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities, asserting that “Iran’s nuclear program cannot be destroyed through military operations. .. this is a technology that we have achieved, and the technology is in the brains and cannot be bombed.” Such rhetoric reflects Iran’s growing confidence in its ability to defy the international community, while steadily advancing its nuclear capabilities.
Israel has never shied away from taking decisive action against hostile nations seeking nuclear weapons. In 1981, Israeli fighter jets carried out Operation Opera, destroying Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. A similar strike was executed in 2007, when Israel bombed Syria’s nuclear reactor in Deir ez-Zor. These operations were not just acts of military aggression, but calculated moves to protect Israel’s very survival — and the security of the entire region.
Now, with Iran inching closer to nuclear breakout capacity, Israeli officials are signaling that time is running out. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, even if it means launching a unilateral military strike. The stakes are clear: a nuclear-armed Iran would embolden its proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations — to escalate attacks on Israel, destabilizing the entire region. And, of course, Iran has promised to destroy Israel, and complete a complete genocide against its people.
For decades, the United States has been Israel’s most steadfast ally, providing military aid, intelligence-sharing, and diplomatic backing. However, Iran’s nuclear advancements present a new test for Washington. President Donald Trump’s recent letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, offering negotiations for a nuclear deal, has been met with outright rejection. While diplomatic solutions should always be explored, history has shown that Iran only responds to strength, not appeasement.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump laid out the stark choice facing Tehran. “There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal,” he told Fox News. “I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people. I know so many Iranians from this country.”
However, Iran’s Supreme Leader dismissed the offer, stating that “the insistence of some bullying governments to negotiate is not to solve problems, but to impose their own expectations.” His rejection signals that Iran remains uninterested in direct negotiations with Washington, a stance that further complicates efforts to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Yet, there is a small window for engagement. Iran’s UN mission recently indicated a willingness to discuss the “militarization” of its nuclear program, while rejecting outright dismantlement. This ambiguous position suggests Tehran may be open to negotiations only on its own terms — terms unlikely to satisfy the United States or Israel.
The consequences of failing to counter Iran’s nuclear ambitions extend far beyond Israel. A nuclear-armed Iran could trigger a regional arms race, with countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey seeking their own nuclear capabilities in response. This would dismantle decades of non-proliferation efforts and heighten the risk of nuclear conflict in an already volatile region.
Moreover, an emboldened Iran would pose a direct threat to American interests. Iran has already demonstrated its willingness to attack US military bases and disrupt global energy markets through proxy warfare. If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, these threats would become exponentially more dangerous, as the country would operate with the ultimate deterrent against any retaliation.
The US must move beyond empty diplomatic gestures and take decisive action to counter Iran’s nuclear threat. This means strengthening Israel’s military capabilities, enforcing crippling economic sanctions on Iran, and ensuring that all options — including military intervention — remain on the table.
Backing Israel in this critical moment is not just about supporting an ally — it is about safeguarding global security and preventing a nuclear-armed rogue state from dictating the balance of power in the Middle East. A failure to act decisively now could lead to irreversible consequences, not only for Israel but for the entire world.
Iran’s nuclear ambitions must be met with an unequivocal response. The United States must do whatever it takes to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, using every means necessary to ensure Tehran does not cross the red line. While diplomacy has a role to play, history has shown that only a firm, unwavering stance backed by credible military deterrence can force Iran to abandon its nuclear aspirations. Time is running out, and hesitation is not an option.
Amine Ayoub, a Middle East Forum fellow, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco.
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UN Security Council Meets on Iran as Russia, China Push for a Ceasefire

Members of the Security Council cast a vote during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the 3rd anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, US, Feb. 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/David Dee Delgado
The U.N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.
It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, said diplomats, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.
The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel.
“The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday. “We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.”
“We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear program,” Guterres said.
The world awaited Iran’s response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had “obliterated” Tehran’s key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that while craters were visible at Iran’s enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, “no one – including the IAEA – is in a position to assess the underground damage.”
Grossi said entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran’s sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again.
“Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites,” said Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran requested the U.N. Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body “to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Israel‘s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the U.S. and Israel “do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.”
Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the U.S. strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Danon said: “That’s for the Iranian people to decide, not for us.”
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Israel Rejects Critical EU Report Ahead of Ministers’ Meeting

FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Israel has rejected a European Union report saying it may be breaching human rights obligations in Gaza and the West Bank as a “moral and methodological failure,” according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday.
The note, sent to EU officials ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, said the report by the bloc’s diplomatic service failed to consider Israel’s challenges and was based on inaccurate information.
“The Foreign Ministry of the State of Israel rejects the document … and finds it to be a complete moral and methodological failure,” the note said, adding that it should be dismissed entirely.
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Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’

FILE PHOTO: Pope Leo XIV holds a Jubilee audience on the occasion of the Jubilee of Sport, at St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican June 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
Pope Leo on Sunday said the international community must strive to avoid war that risks opening an “irreparable abyss,” and that diplomacy should take the place of conflict.
US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites overnight, joining an Israeli assault in a major new escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself.
“Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” Pope Leo said during his weekly prayer with pilgrims.
“No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future. Let diplomacy silence the weapons, let nations chart their future with peace efforts, not with violence and bloody conflicts,” he added.
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population, especially in Gaza and other territories, risks being forgotten, where the need for adequate humanitarian support is becoming increasingly urgent,” Pope Leo said.
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