Bad Day to be a Mullah
Episode 9
As much as I live and breathe education policy — there are times when it should take a backseat to other news, and this week is one of those times.
I’m going to cover some aspects of Israel’s action in Iran that are just beginning to emerge…but first, an announcement:
I’ll be co-hosting Atlanta’s Morning XTRA next week, on the air Monday-Friday from 6am-10am Eastern. If you’re in Atlanta, tune in to 106.3! And if you’re not, tune in online or catch the replay here.
We will have no shortage of things to talk about, starting with this: Israel just shocked the world, and it’s not done yet.
Iran is out of allies.
Arguably the Mullahs’ greatest ally in the region was Hezbollah - a militant political faction in Lebanon, which shares a border with Israel. Iran has funded Hezbollah for decades, and Hezbollah kept missiles and rockets at the ready to launch into Israel. Iran is under fire, and Hezbollah has not yet intervened.
Why? Because Israel hollowed out Hezbollah’s military capabilities last year. In the wake of October 7th, Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in an attempt to divert Israeli resources from the fight against Hamas. Israel fought back - most notably, by exploding a bunch of pagers attached to Islamist leaders. Operation Grim Beeper was only one part of a larger effort that wiped out much of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.
It’s not just Hezbollah jumping ship.
Iran can no longer turn to Syria for help, either. The Mullahs propped up Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship for decades…but it finally collapsed late last year. Now, Syria has joined Saudi Arabia, and Jordan in allowing Israel to use their airspace to fend off retaliatory strikes from Iran.
These countries are not friends of Israel, but they aren’t powerful enemies at the moment, either.
The timing is not random.
With Hamas and Hezbollah both severely weakened, and Syria’s allyship on the rocks, Iran was in a unique position: close to having a nuke, and far from able to defend its nuclear capabilities.
The Western international climate was also primed to be friendly to Israel. Two days ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for the first time in 20 years over Iran’s refusal to cooperate with inspectors.
The timing was also unlikely to anger the Trump administration, despite its repeated attempts to dissuade Netanyahu from military action. President Trump had given Iran 60 days, starting back in April, to agree to limits on its nuclear program. On Day 61, Israel took matters into its own hands.
This isn’t over.
As I type this, more explosions are being reported in Fordow, home of a key Iranian nuclear facility. It is unclear whether the largest nuclear facility, located in Natanz, has been touched: Israel attempted to hit it, but I’ve seen reports saying everything from “it’s decimated” to “it’s untouched.” The reality is that both sites have enrichment centers buried far underground, so we may not know for a while.
What we do know…
Iran’s nuclear program is effectively halted, and the Ayatollah is panicking. He plans to release a video message tonight on Iranian state television.
How’s THAT for a light summer Friday read?
I hope to be back soon with more education updates. In the meantime, please join me in praying for freedom and peace across the Middle East. There are millions of Iranian women ready to take off their hijabs and light them on fire as soon as a terrorist regime is out of power. I hope they get to do so sooner rather than later.
-A