Cal Thomas: The Tehran opening

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MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. WORLD commentator Cal Thomas says the war with Iran carries with it both risks and remarkable opportunity.

President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to end America’s wars.

And now he has done something no previous president dared to do—strike directly at the leadership of the Iranian regime.

In a coordinated operation with Israel, U.S. forces targeted Iran’s top command structure. Among those killed: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials.

For decades the Iranian regime has funded terrorism, threatened Israel, and fueled violence across the Middle East. Now, suddenly, the regime looks vulnerable.

AUDIO: President Trump! Thank you! President Trump! Thank you!

In cities across the United States—and inside Iran itself—people with Iranian roots took to the streets celebrating the strikes.

The moment has stunned many critics. Some media outlets and political leaders are already warning the attack could destabilize the region.

But supporters argue the opposite—that removing the regime’s leadership may give the Iranian people their best chance in decades to reclaim their country. Which is what President Trump emphasized from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

TRUMP: I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country. America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we'll be there to help.

There are risks, of course. Iran still has proxy militias across the region. Intelligence officials warn sleeper cells could attempt retaliation abroad.

But there are strategic consequences as well.

Iran supplies the vast majority of its oil exports to China. A weakened regime could disrupt those shipments—and reshape the geopolitical balance across the Middle East.

For now, the outcome remains uncertain. War always carries more questions than answers.

But if this moment leads to a new government in Tehran—one that abandons terrorism, restores basic freedoms, and rebuilds relations with the West—then this operation could mark one of the most consequential turning points in modern Middle Eastern history.

And it would give the Iranian people something they have been denied for nearly half a century.

A real chance at freedom.

For WORLD, I’m Cal Thomas.

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