Iran Was Not an Imminent Threat? What Kind of Standard Is That?

One of the more bizarre arguments being made by people against Operation Epic Fury is that Iran was not an “imminent” threat. 

To which my answer is…so what? Assume that was true, for a moment. Did you WANT it to be an imminent threat? What kind of standard is that?

You ADMIT Iran is very dangerous, but then walk it back and try to claim they were never a threat.

Which one is it, Jim? pic.twitter.com/VbwxmySeq7

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 17, 2026

No serious person denies that Iran has been waging a gray zone war against Americans for nearly half a century, nor that they are the world’s #1 sponsor of terrorists. Even most Democrats will concede that Iran, which chants “Death to America” every time it can do so, is a very dangerous country, and that, should it get a nuclear weapon, it would become even more dangerous. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren after Iran briefing: “It is so much worse than you thought. Trump has no plan. This illegal war is based on lies and was launched without any imminent threat.”pic.twitter.com/t5zZe4H0a7

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) March 4, 202

Thousands of Americans have been killed by Iran and its proxies. That’s not even in dispute. Most Democrats will concede that the regime is evil, that the Ayatollahs are murderous dictators, and that they take every opportunity to kill people when they can do so without retribution. 

Yet the argument seems to be: wait until it gets a nuclear weapon, and then we have reason to attack it. 

Going through this letter in detail:

“Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States.”

Neither did ISIS. And yet you applaud their defeat later on in your letter. Just because an adversary isn’t an “imminent threat” doesn’t mean you should wait until that threat is… https://t.co/P1CIyKRwQi

— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) March 17, 2026

Democrats have even suggested that one reason not to attack Iran was that it had sleeper cells in the United States. OK, isn’t THAT an imminent threat? 

Iran was building 100 missiles a month, pursuing a “porcupine” strategy to make it invulnerable to attack. Once enough ballistic missiles were accumulated, it would become impractical to attack it to destroy its nuclear program. 

Iran did pose an imminent threat. Their goal was to ramp up missile production until they could throw so many at us that it would overwhelm our defenses. China was sending them vast quantities of propellants, guidance systems, and missile components after we bombed their nuclear… https://t.co/YqNEnKbpjF pic.twitter.com/d2YfAUiyVH

— Payton Alexander (@AlexanderPayton) March 17, 2026

ran did pose an imminent threat. Their goal was to ramp up missile production until they could throw so many at us that it would overwhelm our defenses. China was sending them vast quantities of propellants, guidance systems, and missile components after we bombed their nuclear facilities last summer. Behind that cover, they would be able to rebuild their nuclear program unimpeded, and eventually get the bomb that would make them untouchable. The U.S. acted not a moment too soon.

Since the United States has, and has had for decades, a policy of denying Iran the opportunity to acquire a nuclear weapon, the imminent inability to accomplish that goal was itself a threat. Making a nuclear Iran inevitable was a threat in itself. If we wanted to stop it, we had to do so now. 

The logic behind this argument is rather stunning: it should be the policy of the United States to maximize our vulnerability before we can prevent disaster. No sane person would choose this path when lives are at stake. 

Personally, I prefer any threats to me NOT be imminent. Perhaps it is a gal thing. I like them handled from a distance.

— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) March 17, 2026

Obviously, it would be wrong to just take out anybody who we think might one day present a threat, but just as obviously, we should preempt a known threat before it becomes a crisis. 

Iran has proven itself to be a threat. It declares it daily. It funds terrorism that kills Americans and our allies. We would have been justified in taking them out any day after the Ayatollah sent students in to kidnap American diplomats and hold them hostage. 

On January 12, 2016, while Barack Obama was president, Iran’s IRGC seized a U.S. Navy boat.

Iran released footage showing American sailors humiliated, some kneeling and others in tears before Iranian forces. pic.twitter.com/f8P1sX1ZTZ

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) February 28, 2026

Democrats have had a love affair with appeasing Iran since Obama decided to subsidize the terrorist state, allowing it to murder American soldiers in Iraq, and helping pay for its nuclear program. They allowed the threat to metastasize, and this is the result. 

If Trump can eliminate the regime, it will be a gift to the world, and it certainly will be in the interests of the United States. 

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