A prominent US political commentator and RFE/RL board member says the latest American strikes on Iran mark the beginning of a sustained campaign aimed not just at military deterrence but at ending the rule of the Islamic republic as it currently exists.
In an interview with RFE/RL, Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and a Washington Post columnist, framed the military action as a turning point.
“What is happening is that the liberation of the Iranian people is at hand,” Thiessen said. “The Iranian people have suffered under a despotic, radical regime run by the ayatollahs since 1979. Now they are being given a chance to rise up and take their country back.”
Beyond A Limited Strike
Asked whether the US objective is deterrence, degradation of capabilities, or something broader, Thiessen argued the campaign goes far beyond a symbolic show of force.
Marc Thiessen
“If [President] Trump had struck a month ago, it would have been a symbolic, limited strike lasting a day or two,” he said. “What we’re talking about now is a multi-day, possibly multi-week campaign to decapitate the Iranian regime and remove the threat to our people.”
Asked about the risk that Tehran could respond with intensified repression at home, Thiessen argued that the campaign is specifically designed to prevent that.
“We’re taking out the instruments of repression,” he said, citing reports that senior judicial and security officials had been targeted. “Once we eliminate those threats, it will be up to the Iranian people to take their country back.”
Thiessen said the delay in launching the operation was intentional, allowing Washington to assemble what he described as an unprecedented military buildup.
He contrasted the current campaign with what he called “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which he said targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, including Fordow, an underground uranium enrichment facility. According to Thiessen, the new phase of strikes is designed to go further -- dismantling not only nuclear infrastructure and air defenses, but also what he described as “the instruments of repression.”
No Cease-Fire Expected
Thiessen dismissed the possibility of a near-term cease-fire, predicting that operations will continue for days, possibly weeks.
“It’s going to take more than 48 hours,” he said. “The United States is going to take out all of the instruments of repression, intelligence, and tyranny that have oppressed the Iranian people.”
He compared the moment to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania, both which occurred in 1989, suggesting that external military pressure could create the conditions for internal political change.
“This is your fall of the Berlin Wall,” he said, addressing Iranians directly. “We are decapitating the regime. It will be your job to finish it.”
Risk Of Crackdown
Thiessen also emphasized that Tehran miscalculated by underestimating Washington’s willingness to act.
He said US President Donald Trump had offered Iran an opportunity to negotiate limits on its nuclear and missile programs and to curb its regional activities. According to Thiessen, Iranian leaders refused and later resumed steps to rebuild nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities after earlier strikes.
“They had their opportunity, and they lost it,” he said.
Thiessen pointed to Iran’s long history of confrontation with the United States, including the 1979 hostage crisis, the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, and Tehran’s alleged role in supporting armed groups targeting US troops in Iraq.
He also referenced alleged plots targeting US officials and foreign diplomats on American soil.
Thiessen expressed confidence that the campaign will fundamentally alter Iran’s trajectory.
“In my view, this regime’s reign of terror is coming to an end,” he said. “The Iranian people have a historic opportunity to seize their freedom.”
As the conflict unfolds, much will depend on how Tehran responds, how long Washington and its allies sustain military operations, and whether Iranians are willing -- or able -- to mobilize under the weight of war.