They want Americans dead, too — the threat from Iran and its proxies

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By David Zimmermann
Published June 22, 2025
Israel's recent preemptive strikes and ongoing military campaign against Iran have captured global headlines as the country endeavors to neutralize the Iranian regime's offensive military and nuclear weapons capability. Just hours ago, Israel's efforts to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions were significantly enhanced by U.S.-delivered bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles that struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. Americans must understand these military actions directly enhance U.S. national security as they weaken the numerous Iranian-supported Islamist extremist terrorist groups that threaten Americans at home and abroad.
Operation Rising Lion, initiated by Israel on June 13, 2025, has targeted multiple nuclear facilities, nuclear scientists, military infrastructure, and military leadership across Iran. Iran's radical Islamist regime has, time after time, publicly stated its desire – even promise – to "wipe Israel off the map." Operation Rising Lion, with the recent addition of American military power, will hopefully eliminate Iran's ability to keep such a promise, while at the same time preventing Iran from threatening the existence of neighboring Sunni Arab states and Western countries, including the U.S., with nuclear weapons.
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Iran is currently the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, and it funds, trains, and arms terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and various U.S.-designated Shia militia operating in Iraq. Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons prevents these proxies from having access to such destructive power as well – whether from a true nuclear bomb or a "dirty" bomb.
Hamas, designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in 1997, drafted a written charter in 1988 that declares all Jews are targets for killing. On October 7, 2023, Hamas' devastating terror attack on Israel murdered 45 Americans (amongst 1200 total victims) while 12 Americans were among the 251 who were kidnapped. Is there any doubt that if Hamas were to obtain the destructive power of a nuclear device they would use it to carry out their sworn objective? For Americans who think Hamas is a foreign threat only, please know that Hamas has been in the U.S. for decades. Internal Hamas documents and FBI wiretaps, introduced as evidence in various U.S. federal criminal cases within the past 20 years, demonstrate the existence of a nationwide Hamas network engaged in fundraising, lobbying, education and propaganda dissemination dating back to the 1980s.
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Hezbollah, also designated by the U.S. as an FTO in 1997, has its own "Open Letter" that was written in 1985. Within this Letter, Hezbollah states one of its objectives is Israel's obliteration. Additionally, the Letter states, "We are moving in the direction of fighting the roots of vice and the first root of vice is America." Prior to Al Qaeda's attack on the U.S. in 2001, Hezbollah was responsible for more U.S. terrorism casualties than any other Islamist extremist terrorist group. In November 2023, then-FBI Director Chris Wray testified to Congress that Hezbollah has sought to buy weaponry, seed operatives, and raise funds in America. Even though Israel has weakened Hezbollah over the past 12 months, the terror organization still exists and remains a global threat. Again, is there any doubt that if Hezbollah were to obtain nuclear weapons capability, they would use it to carry out a new form of terror against Israel, the U.S., Jews and Americans across the globe?
The Houthis (Ansar Allah), first designated as an FTO by the U.S. in 2021 and re-designated in 2025 after the initial designation was revoked, have an official slogan: "Allahu Akbar. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam." Since October 2023, the Houthis have been launching missile and drone attacks not only on Israeli civilians, but on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea believed by the Houthis to be connected to Israel, the U.S., or Western allies. Once more, the same question can be asked – and easily answered – about whether the Houthis would use the destructive power of a nuclear weapon if the Iranian regime were to give them this capability.
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Finally, many Americans do not realize the Iranian regime has exported terror directly to U.S. shores already. In recent years, as per Department of Justice records, the Iranian regime has sponsored murder-for-hire plots – within U.S. borders – designed to assassinate former senior U.S. leaders Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, a Saudi Ambassador to the U.S., Iranian dissidents who escaped Iran and currently live in the U.S. (such as Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad), and even President Donald Trump himself. There are other examples of such plots, and all of these plots were disrupted by the phenomenal work of my FBI colleagues and numerous other partners. My point is Iran is not simply a distant threat in a far-off foreign land: Iran has targeted Americans on U.S. soil.
A weakened – or, better yet, a fallen – Iranian regime without nuclear weapons would prevent its Islamist terrorist proxies from acquiring an unimaginable destructive power that threatens not only Israel, but the U.S. as well. Disrupting Iran's nuclear ambitions would also cripple its own ability to threaten Americans on U.S. soil. Ultimately, preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons will not only make Israel safer, but it will also make the U.S. – and the world – safer.
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