The United States' basic position on Iran was expressed in President Donald Trump's clear statement: "We cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons." American commentators wrote on the day before the ceasefire that "by every calculation, that goal has already been achieved, and for a prolonged period." One of them wrote, referring to the promise to destroy Iranian civilization: "Trump and American forces need to win the war in a way that is proportionate to the objective of the war."
That is to say, the nuclear weapons production infrastructure was destroyed across every production chain and at every scale, and Iran's missile capabilities were degraded by several levels. That is enough. There is no need to destroy all the infrastructure of Iran's economy and society.
I suggest that anyone swept up in the euphoria of claims that Operation Rising Lion was a failure should look at the information and analysis coming from American sources. It is hard to believe that such a large-scale operation, in which, according to the Israeli Air Force, target destruction rates were 10 to 20 times greater than in Operation Like a Lion, is being portrayed by talking heads as a failure.
By any measure, this was the most successful military operation since the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Air Force began conducting such operations. Yes, Israel and the US achieved the objective of destroying every production cycle, every component, and every plant and laboratory connected to Iran's nuclear project.
I do not usually quote my own forecasts or analyses, but on the very day the entire top tier of the Iranian leadership was eliminated, on Feb. 28, nearly a month and a half ago, I wrote the following: "As for the future, it is better to be pleasantly surprised, but not to develop expectations in terms of a new regional order or a new world order. Israel's goals are broad and ambitious, but limited. Once they are achieved, a ceasefire should be pursued. If the regime falls, that will mean the plan has been fulfilled in its entirety."
"But Israel should have no intention of striking beyond what is required for security and defense." Security needs mean neutralizing the nuclear threat and reducing missile-launch capabilities.
The Iranians could have raced ahead and built a missile wall that would deter Israel and the US from taking military action against them, as North Korea did in its time. That parallel missile and nuclear race was cut short. This is an enormous success.
Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted against the trend that had prevailed in the US and Israel over the past 35 years, under the leadership of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, reinforced by Jimmy Carter, who acted in North Korea's favor. They chose military action, and they succeeded. Clearly, that success is incomplete as long as the Iranian regime remains in power.
But even on the level of the regime itself, it is still unclear what the ripple effects of the many targeted killings, from the top leadership down to the middle ranks, especially within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, will be.
It is important to move forward together with the Americans in the diplomatic stages that follow. The precedent set by this dual alliance, combined with demonstrated military superiority, carries enormous significance.
