Submission by Dr. Glenn Mollette

If Iran had successfully dropped a nuclear bomb on Israel or New York City, the world would have blamed President Donald Trump. People everywhere would have said, “President Trump could have done something about their nuclear facility, but he didn’t.”

That is something that will never be said. He and our military leadership made a clear effort last weekend to dismantle Iran’s nuclear bomb-building facilities. Let’s hope their capabilities were completely eliminated.

While we are weary of war—of spending billions of dollars and losing our brave men and women—we can’t ignore a growing cancer. We cannot overlook a malignancy. When a doctor says, “You have a serious malignancy in part of your body,” it demands our full attention. It must be eliminated, whether through radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery. Left alone, it will only grow, make you sicker, and ultimately lead to death.

Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been like a growing malignancy with alarms blaring. The warning signs have been clear for years. American intelligence has closely monitored Iran’s progress. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been sounding the alarm loudly in recent years. And of course, he would be terrified. He knows that if Iran were to possess such a weapon, it would almost certainly be aimed at Israel—possibly annihilating the entire country.

Since the early 1980s, Iran has been the world’s leading sponsor of terror. The events and groups they’ve financially supported form a long and troubling list. Their slogans—“Death to Israel” and “Death to America”—have echoed for decades.

Unfortunately, the bunker-busting bombs dropped on Iran’s research facilities Saturday night probably didn’t end anything. Hopefully, they neutralized the nuclear threat for a few years. But tragically, the poisonous hatred within Iran’s leadership has likely reached a new fever pitch.

A few years ago, my wife and I were hiking a mountain trail when she spotted a poisonous copperhead serpent ready to strike. She quickly aimed her pepper spray and hit the snake squarely in the face. We jumped forward several feet. The snake was stunned and frozen for a moment, then suddenly began striking wildly in every direction, appearing blinded. Its venomous bite could have been deadly. A few minutes later, the snake slithered off—still very much alive, still dangerous.

Iran is stunned, but the poisonous leadership that sponsors terror and preaches hatred toward Israel and America is still alive.

Very importantly, there are millions of good, hard-working people in Iran. Let us pray for them—and for a change in their leadership.