Heading this morning into a conflict with the Muslim leaders of Iran, this will be a substantial step for the future of human history. President Donald Trump has put in play the largest military buildup since the Gulf War in the 1990s. His insistence that Iran divest itself of nuclear enrichment was the ultimatum that gave way to the current events.

I completely agree with the Foreign Affairs magazine, which I regularly criticize for Trump Derangement Syndrome expressed in academic terms. However, yesterday they came out with an article titled “What It Will Take to Change the Regime in Iran: The U.S. Military Must Go Big—and Then Let Iranians Do the Rest.” Written by Behnam Ben Taleblu, I excerpt his article with this:

“To some analysts, the fact that limited strikes will fail is reason enough to think twice about employing the military. ‘Iran will not cave to major demands simply because of a bombing campaign,’ wrote Nate Swanson, a former White House adviser on Iran, in a cautionary Foreign Affairs piece. ‘An attack by the United States on Iran could result in unexpectedly deadly retaliation—and a much longer and potentially damaging conflict.’ Unless Iran is bluffing, this analysis is correct. But it is not a compelling reason to avoid using the military. Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, one of the most outright anti-American governments in the world, and the country with the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. Nearly a half century of experience has shown that the Islamic Republic will not meaningfully moderate any of this behavior or treat its citizens any better. Washington now has a historic opportunity to bring down the regime, and it cannot pass it up out of fear. Indeed, the fact that Iran would almost certainly escalate in response to a limited U.S. strike is all the more reason to go big from the beginning and avoid settling into the kind of gradual escalation that turns wars into quagmires. Washington cannot let Tehran dictate the pace or terms of the conflict.”

In just this paragraph, there is so much to understand and unpack. If you’d like to understand, please read his whole article. The point about “going big” is not new. The United States used the same strategy for Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991, and Operation Desert Storm, as well as the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

There will be consequences, but there will be more positives in the world afterward. Russia and China will no longer have Iran as a strategic partner in the region. That is already a better improvement for world peace. Russia and China may think differently, but history bears out that checking aggression is warranted. I really hope the United States will be successful in furthering peace.

I submit to you, Pastor Kevin Kazemi. He is Persian, and the Iranians are his people and country. I also want to offer his thoughts. He is a blessing to me, personally. Having lived in Iran and having family there, I had a vision during our corporate prayer and worship: suddenly and unexpectedly, even though no one was praying for Iran at the time, I was rightfully concerned. His vision of Iran being a garment twisted and pressured by two hands.

In Pastor Kevin’s words:

“In Scripture, God used the Persian people to free the Jewish people. King Cyrus was called God’s anointed to release captives.
May God move again in history, but this time free the Persian people.
May He protect innocent lives.
May He dismantle oppression.
May He restrain unnecessary bloodshed.
May justice and mercy meet.
This is not about hatred toward a people. This is about longing for liberty, dignity, and peace.
Lord, remember Iran. Lord, remember the Persian people. Let Your purposes stand.”

I wanted to put this blog post out before last night, but I couldn’t. But it should be clear now that this is a work of concern for the world and for the Iranian people. Please pray for the peace of Iran. The former Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was a good man and an ally to the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. Reza Pahlavi is positioned to succeed his father on the throne. I hope he can restore law and order and be a blessing to the world.

Lastly, I follow Marziyeh Amirizadeh, an Iranian-American author whose imprisonment in Iran’s Evin Prison attracted international attention and concern. She lives in Tehran and has been documenting the atrocities of the Ayatollah and his regime against their own people. You would do well to follow her on Facebook and stay up to date in real time on what is happening.