It's been widely reported, that 21 hours of negotiations with Iran leaders, arranged last Sunday by Pakistan headed by Vice President JD Vance, failed to reach common ground on key demands of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Those provisions include abandonment of nuclear weapons ambitions, terminating sponsorship of terrorist proxies, and free passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
That strait, it should be noted and emphasized provides 20% of all oil globally.
We might consider such requirements very reasonable and essential.
Think, for example, that thanks to joint U.S.-Israeli mission "Midnight Hammer," the Iranian Islamic Republic is no longer days or weeks away from having produced enough weapons grade uranium and rapidly growing its long-range ballistic delivery systems to exercise their "Death to the Great Satan, America!"
For Iran this has been nothing short of an obsession and it's resulted in the murder of more of our citizens than any other regime --- in the past 50 years.
Consider: Since 1979, the Islamic Republic and their proxies have made killing Americans among its highest priorities. Hezbollah terrorists killed more than 200 Marines on Oct. 23, 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon.
Additionally, 600 American service members were killed by Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
Our nation's 47th commander in chief has made it clear that U.S. war actions aren’t, as some pundits claim, primarily about protecting Israel nor are they about "regime change."
Previously Trump declared, "Regime change was not our goal. We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because all of their original leaders' death."
Rather, these actions are being taken to ensure that America and our allies will never be held hostage to Iran and proxy control over global shipping lanes and nuclear extortion.
Nevertheless, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., recently posted on (Twitter)/X: "This war has made us worse off than when it started."
Subsequently, speaking from the U.S. Senate floor, Schumer jibed, "This is a war of choice, not necessity . . . We are sick and tired of endless wars in the Middle East."
The Washington Post cheered, "Trump’s central war objective remains unmet," and defeatist New York Times scolds asserted that his actions have resulted in a "blow to American credibility."
Nor, as we have heard from the start, has the "Epic Fury" war "dragged on."
The military timetable was originally four to six weeks where the major combat phase lasted only 38 days with a declared cease-fire around April 8.
Three decades of past presidents since Bill Clinton, Republican and Democrat alike, have condemned Iran's role in terrorism against American citizens, interests, and allies but have accomplished nothing to stop it.
Being nice hasn't succeeded, nor has talking tough, moral suasion, negotiated agreement, or economic sanctions.
Barack Obama's "Lead from Behind" strategy unleashed chaos in Libya permitting Syria to cross his chemical weapons red line, while Joe Biden's catastrophic exit from Afghanistan (part of the greater Mideast) was an epic U.S. humiliation.
President Trump applied a different epic strategy, felling the supreme leader and 40 of his top associates during the war's first moments.
Yes, unquestionably Trump made it clear from the beginning that this is a war to protect America, not Israel, while the two countries fight side-by-side.
However, and quite sadly, other major American allies including NATO members who depend heavily on that Strait of Hormuz oil have decided to sit this one out – even denying use of air bases on their soil.
Without them – within a month - a mighty joint force with Israel dismantled one of the world's largest militaries.
More than 13,000 targeted strikes – at least 2,000 of these launched from Israel - reduced Iran's air defense systems to rubble along with its ballistic missile and attack drone stockpiles.
Of Iran’s naval fleet, 90% was destroyed, sending 158 ships to the bottom of the sea.
This followed decisive U.S. leadership and flawless military execution of Massive Ordinance Penetrators dropped from B-2 stealth bombers on uranium facilities during the previous operation "Midnight Hammer" last July which left Iran's air defenses weakened and key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan destroyed or badly damaged by Massive Ordinance Penetrators dropped with pinpoint accuracy from B-2 stealth bombers.
Add to this, the stealthy U.S. special force operations that extracted Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela. He now sits in a Brooklyn jail cell.
Meanwhile, Trump oversaw the rescuing two airmen in Iranian territory without loss of life.
As for Sen. Schumer's assertion of U.S. "loss of credibility," all this instead has demonstrated the potency of American military prowess and technology to Russia, China, and the world.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration's war of attrition against Tehran can only end with firm assurances that America and our allies will never be held hostage to nuclear extortion or a stranglehold on Strait of Hurmuz international shipping lanes.
Ceding control of a vital waterway and of resources necessary for the prosperity of billions of people to a fanatical and bloodthirsty regime is a recipe and revenue stream for permanent upheaval.
Rather than cheer for U.S. defeat, wouldn't it be much more refreshing to see Democrats and anti-Trump media finally credit the only U.S. president that has proven willing to wage an effective war against Tehran tyranny that has threatened the economy and security of the free world over nearly a half-century?
Larry Bell is an endowed professor of space architecture at the University of Houston where he founded the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture and the graduate space architecture program. His latest of 12 books is "Architectures Beyond Boxes and Boundaries: My Life By Design" (2022). Read more Larry Bell Insider articles — Click Here Now.
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