We can have strong disagreements with the current U.S. Administration while still recognizing that a non-nuclear Iran is in the best interests of the civilized world.
The Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program has been dealt a significant blow following U.S. strikes on Iran’s main nuclear facilities.
While it remains to be seen whether the facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Ifsahan have been destroyed or merely damaged, at the very least Iran’s nuclear program has been set back considerably. And with Israel possessing air superiority over Iran, future strikes are quite possible if the regime refuses to negotiate.
Following these strikes, much of the response within Canada has, understandably, focused on the individual who ordered them, U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump remains deeply unpopular in Canada, as his annexation threats and economically damaging tariffs have caused Canadian views of the U.S. to plummet, and with good reason.
With that being said, it is important to look beyond one personality and assess the broader implications of the U.S. strikes on Iran. When looked at in totality, I believe the strike on Iran was the right thing to do.
Here are five reasons why:
Taking Iran at its word
It is important to take governments at their word. I don’t mean that in the naive sense of trusting all of their claims, but believing them when they make repeated aggressive threats towards others. Iran repeatedly calls for the destruction of Israel and the destruction of the United States, and is pursuing weapons that would enable it to carry out the former. Remember, Israel is a very small nation, and is thus incredibly vulnerable to destruction from a few nuclear blasts. It is simply illogical to hope for the best and bet that Iran wouldn’t carry out its destructive threats if armed with nuclear weapons. Instead, Iran’s threats should be taken seriously, and taking those threats seriously means a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable.
Weakening a brutal regime
The Iranian regime is not a government like those of Canada or our allies. It is an unelected authoritarian regime that rules through brutality and terror. It subjects its people to torture, imprisonment, and execution for the ‘crimes’ of speaking out against the regime. If Iran uses violence and terror against its own people, why would we expect any different if they acquired a nuclear weapon? Iran’s ability to threaten and intimidate others has been severely weakened, and that is a positive development.
Helping Ukraine
Many of the drones Russia has used against Ukraine have been Iranian-made. In fact, Russia used some today:
As noted by foreign policy & security analyst Jimmy Rushton, Iran has enabled Russia’s slaughter of Ukrainian civilians:
While the U.S. Administration has been ambivalent at best towards Ukraine, and while they likely did not intend to help Ukraine with their strikes on Iran, it remains the case that a weaker Iran means a weaker Russia.
And not just in material terms.
Russia is suffering ongoing reputational damage, as one Russian ally after another crumbles or flails in the face of conflict. The Assad regime collapsed, the CSTO (Russia’s attempt to create a NATO equivalent) has been rendered ineffective, and now the Iranian regime, using Russian-made air defences, is left to watch as Israel and the United States dominate its airspace.
Being a Russian ally seems to bring little benefit, even as Russia gladly uses allied technology to murder scores of innocent people.
Defending civilization
Though some see the term as controversial, there really is something to the idea of there being a civilized world that contrasts with brutal regimes. This isn’t a racial or ethnic argument, as people of all backgrounds, cultures, and religions have been shown to embrace civilizational values of respect for individual freedom, women’s rights, free expression, and democracy. For example, Iranian-Canadians are among the most passionate and effective defenders of what we often call Western Civilization, in large part because they know from experience what it means to see a brutal regime wipe civilized values away.
Despite our often significant political differences, Canada, the United States, and our NATO and non-NATO allies remain bound by some common values, values the Iranian regime does not share.
The Iranian regime blinds and executes women for wanting to be free of being forced to wear a hijab. The regime executes people for being gay. The regime sponsors terror groups that pledge to commit genocide against Israel. The regime publicly promotes chants calling for the destruction of entire nations. The regime murders those who speak out against it.
Canada, Israel, the United States, Europe, and our many other allies do none of those things. There is a real, civilizational difference here.
Thus, when a brutal regime seeks nuclear weapons, the civilized world must respond.
Note, this is a key reason why it’s ok for Israel to possess nuclear weapons, while it is not ok for Iran to do so. Israel is a democratic nation bound by laws and norms aligned with Western civilization. Israel has almost certainly possessed nuclear weapons for decades, yet has refused to use them, even when facing near-existential threats from multiple neighbouring nations. Meanwhile, Iran takes every chance it gets to attack Israel through proxies, as the world witnessed horrifically on October 7th, 2023. Does anyone doubt that Iran would use nuclear weapons against Israel if it thought it could get away with it?
The Iranian regime has attacked and threatened Canadians
As I noted on Twitter, Canadians have our own strong reasons for opposing the Iranian regime:
“Important to remember that the Iranian regime killed 55 Canadian Citizens and 30 Permanent Residents when it shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.
The regime also intimidates brave dissidents and human rights activists within Canada.
And Iran has played a big role in Russia’s evil invasion of Ukraine.
You don’t have to be a fan of the current U.S. Administration – I certainly am not – to recognize that stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is a good thing.”
Ultimately, a world where the Iranian regime is prevented from acquiring a nuclear weapon is a safer and more just world, and the United States did the right thing by striking the Iranian nuclear program.
Spencer Fernando
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