When President Donald Trump promised Iranian protesters that “help is on its way,” he made a commitment that demands fulfillment. The administration appears caught between honoring that pledge and confronting a paralyzing question: what comes after we hit Iran?

The Trump administration is wrestling with whether air campaigns alone can produce meaningful change that serves American interests. Critics immediately invoke Iraq, Syria, and Libya as cautionary tales, warning that intervention risks empowering even more militant leadership in Tehran. But this argument rests on false analogies that misread what distinguishes Iran from its neighbors.

The critical difference lies in the nature of the state. Iraq and Syria are essentially colonial constructs. In Iraq, the post-2003 invasion political system was built........

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