For too long, foreign adversaries tested America’s resolve. Those days are over.
Since the 1979 revolution, the Iranian regime has fueled terrorism and supported proxy militias responsible for deadly attacks on American service members. Tehran’s backing of militant groups has contributed to the deaths of U.S. troops and wounded many more. Its chants of “Death to America” have never been symbolic. They have been reinforced through weapons, violence, and an aggressive pursuit of nuclear capability.
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President Donald Trump made clear that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. He gave its leadership the opportunity to negotiate and step back from escalation. Instead, the regime chose delay, deception, and continued aggression. When diplomacy fails, and American lives are at risk, decisive leadership matters.
The recent strikes rejected endless war and nation-building. They restored deterrence and defended Americans. That is what decisive leadership requires when a hostile regime threatens the United States with catastrophic capability.
We write this as service members who understand the gravity of these decisions. As a former Army aviator who served 10 years on active duty flying combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Matt) and as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard who served as a medical crew director on combat missions in the Middle East supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (Sheri), we know what it means to be deployed into harm’s way, and we know the cost of inaction when threats are allowed to grow.
Allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon would not have contained the threat. It would have guaranteed a far more dangerous and destabilizing conflict. Acting now reduces the likelihood of a broader regional war and protects American lives before the danger multiplies.
That decision also carries consequences far beyond Tehran. Russia is watching. China is watching. Every adversary assessing America’s resolve is watching. When the U.S. enforces its red lines, it restores credibility. When it fails to act, aggression spreads.
For nearly 50 years, Iran’s regime has exported terrorism and instability across the region. Its leaders chose confrontation over cooperation and escalation over peace. Today, they face the consequences of those choices. The future of Iran now belongs to its people, not to leaders who dragged their nation into confrontation with the world.
Trump fulfilled his constitutional duty as commander in chief. After giving diplomacy every opportunity to succeed, he acted to defend American lives, restore deterrence, and affirm that the U.S. will not tolerate threats to its homeland.
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As service members and as parents, our mission is simple. Protect this country. Stand with our troops. Pray for their safety. And ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit a nation that is strong, secure, and unafraid to defend itself.
Peace through strength is not a slogan. It is how America wins.
Rep. Sheri Biggs represents South Carolina’s Third District, and Rep. Matt Van Epps represents Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.