For the past several weeks, many posts have simply echoed familiar talking points, while brave men and women are risking their lives inside Iran. The debate around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action continues to be framed in extremes—either as flawless or disastrous—when the reality is far more complex. I was not in favor of the deal, but reducing it to political talking points ignores the seriousness of what was at stake.

The agreement had real flaws. It allowed too many centrifuges, and oversight was not as strong or transparent as it needed to be. While Barack Obama built international consensus, many countries still feared Iran’s long-term nuclear ambitions.

When Donald Trump withdrew, the structure of oversight disappeared, replaced with heavy sanctions but no coordinated monitoring. At the same time, growing regional fear of Iran helped drive alliances like the Abraham Accords.

Iran’s influence extends far beyond its borders. Through proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah, it has fueled instability across the region—not only impacting Israel and the United States, but increasingly threatening neighboring Muslim countries through sustained proxy conflict, attacks, and political pressure.

In 2009, a woman-led uprising captured the world’s attention—and the world largely did nothing. Neda Agha-Soltan became the face of a nation asking for freedom.

Today, in 2026, reports suggest nearly 30,000 protestors have been killed. As tensions escalated and countries like Saudi Arabia moved closer to normalization efforts similar to the Abraham Accords, Hamas—backed by Iran—carried out brutal attacks, killing, assaulting, and taking Israelis and Americans hostage.

At the same time, a troubling pattern has emerged at home. On college campuses across the US, some have openly sympathized with Hamas without asking harder questions—like why neighboring Arab countries have historically refused to absorb Palestinian populations fully.

Antisemitism is now at its highest level in over 50 years. Even in my own community, in West Bloomfield Township, a synagogue was the target of a terrorist attack—bringing this reality close to home.

Extremism, however, is not confined to one side. There have also been disturbing incidents tied to individuals associated with the University of Florida Republican Party promoting or tolerating Nazi rhetoric. Just as some on the left excuse dangerous ideologies, some on the right now hide behind “free speech.” But speech that calls for violence against any group is not free speech—it is incitement.

Last summer, nuclear sites were struck by the US and Israel, yet not all were destroyed. The uncomfortable truth is that Iran’s timeline to a nuclear weapon may now be measured in months, not years. According to US intelligence and groups like the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iran’s “breakout time” for nuclear material is now measured in days, and building a functional nuclear weapon could take around three to eight months.

At the same time, gas prices are at their highest levels in years, Donald Trump has sent inconsistent messages on the war, and American morale is low.

Meanwhile, the voices we hear the least from are the ones that matter most—Arab countries that have been directly targeted, attacked, and destabilized. Their perspective is critical, and it’s long overdue that it’s amplified so people—especially on the left—fully understand the scope of what’s happening.

At the same time, Republicans need more than rhetoric. There needs to be a clear, defined strategy—one that actually finishes the job and ensures Iran no longer has the ability to threaten or kill Americans, Israelis, or fellow Muslims through its proxies and regional aggression.

This is the difficult reality: the situation Donald Trump is in is a geopolitical quagmire. But delaying action only makes the outcome worse. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it could escalate attacks across the Middle East while daring anyone to respond, knowing retaliation could trigger nuclear war. One miscalculation in a fast-moving crisis could unleash a nuclear strike that kills hundreds of thousands in minutes, levels entire cities, overwhelms any medical response, and leaves radiation spreading for miles—forcing mass evacuations and long-term uninhabitable zones. The shock wouldn’t stay overseas: it could slam the US with market crashes, spiking food and energy prices, and supply chain breakdown

And let’s be honest—if Iran were truly in compliance, it would not be advancing ballistic missile capabilities capable of reaching across the region, including launches that have come dangerously close to some of the holiest sites in the Muslim world.

Tara Laxer-

Former Policy Advisor for United Against Nuclear Iran

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)