One Simple Question

The Republicans lost – and they have nobody but themselves to blame. The Iranian regime was under pressure, weakened, internationally isolated, and increasingly vulnerable. The Iranian people were ready to stand up for their freedom. And what happened? A ceasefire. And then, believe it or not, negotiations. J.D. Vance apparently looked at a regime that executes teenagers, shoots protesters in the streets, and chants “Death to America” every Friday, and decided that it deserved another hearing and another round of negotiations. Negotiate with whom, exactly?

For 47 years, we have seen the same pattern repeated: agreements, concessions, diplomatic overtures, and gestures of goodwill. The regime accepts the concessions and uses the time it gains to further expand its nuclear capabilities. Had the American administration maintained the pressure and allowed the Iranian people the opportunity to reclaim their country, this could have been a historic turning point – not just for the Republicans, but for the entire world. But the Democrats should not get too comfortable either.

Michigan's Winner Abdul El-Sayed had jokes about J.D. Vance, jokes about Trump, and jokes about everything. But what he didn't have was one word about the IRGC. An Iranian-American man stood up in front of him. His cousin had been hunted down in the streets by the IRGC over a hijab. His uncle had received 50 lashes. He asked one simple question: “I wanted to ask whether you stand unequivocally against the IRGC and against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Yes or no?"

And the response from Abdul El-Sayed? We have turned ourselves into the world's policemen to justify corporate interests and companies with a stake in the natural resources of other countries. A man tells you that his uncle was flogged, and you respond with a lecture about oil companies. Ninety seconds of speaking time - and not one clear word about the IRGC. And then came the real punchline: “It is the responsibility of the people of Iran to decide what their leadership should look like.”

The Iranian people have already tried to make that decision. They took to the streets, risking their lives. The regime's response was bullets, arrests, torture, and executions. And Britain should not think it is off the hook either. Time and again, the cost-of-living crisis is presented as the central political issue. Both left and right seem more interested in immediate economic concerns while losing sight of the long-term security threats unfolding before them. Yet the Islamic Republic of Iran is no ordinary regional player. It has spent decades building and financing an extensive network of armed groups and militias across the Middle East. Its support extends far beyond Hezbollah and Hamas.

It includes Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthi movement in Yemen, numerous Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, and other armed groups throughout the region. Through the IRGC's Quds Force, Tehran provides funding, weapons, training, and logistical support to these organisations, using them to extend its influence and project power far beyond Iran's borders. Politicians talk about gas prices while the real danger extends far beyond the next visit to the petrol station. The greatest challenge remains the possibility of the Islamic Republic acquiring nuclear weapons.

Even without such weapons, the regime contributes to regional instability through proxy conflicts, attacks on shipping, threats to international trade routes, hostage-taking, and alleged plots targeting European soil. That is the reality without an Iranian nuclear bomb. What would change if this regime actually possessed one? The world does not need endless repetitions of the same diplomatic promises. It does not need agreements that merely give the regime more time, or ceasefires that leave the underlying problems unresolved.

Iran's future must be decided by the Iranian people themselves – free from oppression, free from the rule of the Revolutionary Guards, and free from a regime that uses violence to silence its own population. The people of Iran have repeatedly made it clear that they no longer want to live under this system. It is time to listen to them instead of allowing their demands to disappear behind economic debates and diplomatic rhetoric. Because if the world waits until the Islamic Republic has acquired a nuclear bomb before taking action, it may already be too late.