by James Bradley
MARCH 17, 2026, COMMENARY-Let’s talk about what triggered current events happening in Iran as members of the American public. Tehran’s media machine insists the Iran War is Netanyahu’s personal vendetta, a Zionist ploy that is ensnaring America. That narrative is convenient. It distracts.
For a moment, let’s set aside the bluster, the bias, and propaganda chatter reverberating through the fog of war-coverage media. Admist all that noise, public and verifiable evidence accumulated over forty-seven years tells a different story. It shows Iran as a persistent threat to civilized nations, not just Israel.
IRGC Annual Support
Since 1979, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) exported terror by funding proxies that killed Americans and destabilized regions. Estimates of IRGC support reach sixteen billion dollars diverted to groups like Hezbollah (up to $800 million yearly), Hamas ($100 million+), Houthis, and Iraqi Shia militias. These funds far exceed domestic needs. U.S. intelligence assessments and congressional reports document recent 2025 transfers were at over $1 billion to Hezbollah alone.
American Lives Lost
A total of 603 service members were killed by Iranian proxies since 1983. The Beirut barracks bombing claimed 241 dead. The Khobar Towers killed 19. Others died from Iraq IEDs, among other causes according to declassified FDD tracking records.
Nuclear Brinkmanship
The JCPOA capped Iranian uranium enrichment at 3.67%. By 2023-2025. Yet, Iran amassed uranium at 60%, which was enough for multiple weapons if pushed further per IAEA reports.
Diplomacy
We pursued diplomacy. In the 2015 deal, which greenlit the Iranian nuclear program, Iran promised restraint by narrowing their nuclear buildout for energy infrastructure only. Despite those promises, Tehran accelerated centrifuges, tested missiles, flew drones near U.S. carriers, and assassinated critics abroad. The “Death to America” chant was broadcast at pro-Iranian rallies and remains doctrine, not rhetoric.
Post-June 2025 Strikes
Evidence of the post June 2025 US-Israeli strikes on Natanz and Fordow show severe damage to nuclear sites. Craters, debris, obliterated access routes are physical remnants left of the hit, further supporting destruction of sites posing a nuclear threat. Here’s what satellite imagery reveals at the Farlow site.
Before and After Pictures of Farlow Uranium Enrichment Plant in Iran
Farlow Closeup Showing Craters and Debris Post Strike
Farlow Closeup Showing Craters Post Strike
U.S. carriers like the Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford were not only deployed to support Israel, but also to deter a regime threatening global trade, US allies, and their capitals.
US Battleship
Iran Proxies Falter
The IRGC leverages its proxy groups to expand its reach of power, no longer making the current events one nation’s war but a strike against a collective security force dispersed through cell networks. A nuclear Iran would have amplified Islamic caliphate Expansion worldwide.
However, signs show that Iranian proxies are waning in their support. Hezbollah launch sites are quiet. Houthi drones are reduced. ISIS appears to be operating in a vacuum. Houthis in Yemen hesitate. Hezbollah in Lebanon vie for peace talks with Israel.
War Against Terror
We are not at war with Iran’s people. We confront a regime whose currency is terror. Ignoring forty-seven
years of proof evidenced in dead soldiers, bombed embassies, a nuclear sprint, is not wisdom but abdication. The record is open. The threat endures. We must not look away.
Citations
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/other-iran-allied-groups-engaging-100503878.html
IAEA Verification Reports (2025): gov2025-24.pdf, gov2025-25.pdf – enrichment
stockpiles.
FDD: “Iranian and Iranian-Backed Attacks Against Americans (1979-Present)” –
casualty figures.
Maxar/Planet Labs satellite imagery (June 2025) via ABC News, Al Jazeera,
NewsNation – damage assessments.
U.S. DoD/Congressional estimates on IRGC proxy funding (2024-2025).