The Iranian regime just proved Donald Trump right, though they probably didn’t mean to. As reported by the Israeli Defense Forces, on Friday, Tehran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, a critical U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean. The missiles traveled roughly 2,500 miles, which is interesting because Iranian officials have spent years insisting they deliberately limited their missile range to under 2,000 kilometers;. Turns out that was a lie. Who could have guessed?
Just three days before launching Operation Epic Fury, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looked the world in the eye and claimed, “We intentionally kept the range of our missiles below 2,000 kilometers so we don’t have that capability. And we don’t want to do that because we do not have hostility against the United States people and all Europeans.” It was a masterclass in diplomatic deception, delivered with the straight face that only comes from decades of practice;. The regime hoped to lie their way into becoming a nuclear power while the West nodded along politely.
Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir didn’t mince words about what this means, stating, “Just yesterday, Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers toward an American target on the island of Diego Garcia.” Zamir added, “These missiles were not intended to hit Israel. Their range reaches the capitals of Europe—Berlin, Paris and Rome are all within direct threat range.” The mullahs weren’t just building weapons to threaten the Jewish state. They were building weapons that could strike the heart of Europe.
IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani blasted the deception on social media, noting that Iran’s lies were “exposed once again,” as per his post. But here’s the thing: this isn’t just about one lie. This is about a pattern of deception that stretches back decades. The Iranian regime negotiated the nuclear deal while hiding their weapons research; they promised to limit their missile program while building intercontinental ballistic missiles. They claimed they wanted peaceful nuclear energy while enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels. At what point do we stop pretending these are misunderstandings and start recognizing them for what they are?
Trump saw through it from the beginning. He pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018 because he understood what the European diplomats refused to accept: you cannot trust a regime that lies as naturally as it breathes. The same experts who called him reckless then are now scrambling to explain how Iran managed to develop missiles with ranges they swore they didn’t have. Maybe the recklessness wasn’t in leaving the deal. Maybe it was in staying in it while Iran laughed at our gullibility.
The targeting of Diego Garcia is significant beyond the immediate threat. This is a base that has been central to American power projection in the Indian Ocean for generations. If Iran can reach it, they can reach a lot of things. The missiles weren’t intended to hit Israel this time, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be aimed at Jerusalem tomorrow. And now that we know their true range, every European capital has to be asking the same question: are we next?
The regime in Tehran has shown its hand. They have missiles capable of striking Europe. They’ve demonstrated the willingness to use them against American targets. And they’ve proven that every promise they make is worth exactly nothing. The only question remaining is whether the West will finally learn the lesson that Trump has been trying to teach for years: when someone tells you who they are, believe them. The mullahs have told us exactly who they are. It’s time we started listening.
Providence watches over the bold.
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