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The White House delivered a blistering message to Tehran on Wednesday, and there is no mistaking the intent behind it. President Trump does not bluff, as Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a press briefing. That was the word from Leavitt, who made clear that the administration has run out of patience with Iranian mullahs who think they can stall, threaten, and terrorize their way to a nuclear weapon.
The warning comes as Operation Epic Fury enters its fourth week, and the results speak for themselves, according to Leavitt’s remarks. Over 9,000 targets struck, as she reported; Iranian missile and drone attacks down 90 percent, per her briefing; their navy and air defenses reduced to rubble. Leavitt noted this is the largest elimination of a navy in a three-week span since World War II, a staggering achievement that underscores just how decisively American and Israeli forces have dismantled the regime’s war machine.
Yet here we are, with Iran still clinging to delusions of grandeur, still reviewing a 15-point peace proposal as if they hold any cards worth playing. The regime has been defeated militarily, based on Leavitt’s assessment, and their nuclear ambitions have been crushed even more thoroughly than they were during Operation Midnight Hammer last summer. So why the hesitation? Why the games?
Because that is what tyrants do. They bargain in bad faith, exploit Western hesitation, and pray for a political shift that lets them crawl back to the table with leverage they no longer possess. President Trump has seen this movie before, and he is not interested in a sequel, as the administration has indicated through Leavitt. The administration has temporarily held off on striking Iranian energy infrastructure to allow space for negotiations, but that patience is not infinite, she added.
The choice now belongs entirely to Tehran. Accept the reality of their defeat, come to terms, and spare their people further suffering, or discover just how much worse things can get when the commander-in-chief decides the time for talking has passed. The president has options at his disposal, and he is prepared to use them, according to White House statements. There is a lesson here that extends beyond the Persian Gulf: weakness invites aggression, while decisive strength creates peace, as Trump has demonstrated in less than a month by shattering their military capabilities and bringing them to the brink of surrender.
Providence watches over the bold.
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