The United States and Israel may soon stand on the verge of a strategic breakthrough against the regime in Iran. After decades of confrontation—covert operations, sanctions, intelligence warfare, and now unprecedented military coordination—the clerical regime that has destabilized the Middle East for nearly half a century appears more vulnerable than at any time since the revolution of 1979.

If that regime falls, it will mark one of the most consequential geopolitical shifts of the 21st century. Yet it would be dangerously naïve to believe that such a victory alone will end the threat Iran represents.

Because while Tehran may soon lose its grip on power at home, its ideology has already traveled far beyond its borders.

For decades, Iran has waged two wars simultaneously. One is visible: the financing and arming of militant proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The other is quieter but potentially more corrosive: the export of a revolutionary Islamist worldview that seeks to undermine Western societies from within.

That ideological front became impossible to ignore after the atrocities of the October 7 attacks. In the weeks that followed, scenes unfolded across American campuses that stunned many Americans. Demonstrations erupted in which some activists openly........

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