Victor Davis Hanson: Iran Has Only One Negotiating Chip Left: Their Survival

Jun 23, 2025

#DailySignal

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Trump’s strike wasn’t about regime change—it was a calculated hit with one goal: neutralize Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

On Saturday night, June 22, President Donald Trump’s Operation Midnight Hammer sent a message to Tehran, and the world, that can’t be ignored.
Seven Missouri-based B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, while U.S. Navy vessels launched a barrage of cruise missiles at other strategic nuclear infrastructure.

Victor Davis Hanson explains what just happened—and what could come next—on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
“ [Iran] must know that people are angry. That over 50 years, nearly, they spent a trillion dollars subsidizing the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Assad dynasty. And for what? It's all up in smoke. And then they probably lost another trillion dollars, over 50 years, through sanctions and oil embargoes. For what? It's up in smoke.

“ Right now the ball is in the court of Iran. Trump has said to them, you can come back and negotiate. But, what would they negotiate over? Their one card was that we have the specter of a nuclear bomb. So, you better come to us and talk. They don't have that anymore. At least not for the foreseeable future. The only negotiable item is whether they survive or not.”