For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has financed, directed, and exported terrorism beyond its borders. That record alone should have compelled decisive Western action long ago. Instead, the response was delayed, fragmented, and cautious, even as Iranian aggression targeted Western forces, civilians, and allies across multiple continents.

This failure did not begin as a humanitarian lapse. It began as a failure of basic state responsibility.

From the early years of the Islamic Republic, Iranian-backed networks carried out attacks abroad, operating through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies. These attacks were not isolated incidents. They formed a coherent system designed to provide deniability while preserving command and control. The threat was not confined to distant regions. Iranian-linked cells operated within Western nations themselves, conducting surveillance, facilitating financing, and preparing attacks. This was a direct internal security concern.

At that stage, the question facing Western governments was not ideological. It was operational. A regime attacking Western interests abroad while maintaining covert networks inside Western societies........

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