Former Ambassador Michael Oren Argues Operation Epic Fury Is Necessary Response to Decades of Iranian Aggression

Former Ambassador Michael Oren explains why the U.S. war on Iran is a 47-year necessity, refuting claims of illegality and strategic overreach.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 9, 2026, 5:02 PM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Fox News

Establishing the Justification for Military Escalation

Michael Oren asserts that the success of any military campaign rests on the strength of its casus belli, arguing that Operation Epic Fury possesses a historical foundation far sturdier than previous U.S. interventions in Vietnam or Iraq. He posits that the conflict was not initiated by the Trump administration but by the Iranian regime during the 1979 embassy hostage crisis. According to Oren, the Islamic Republic has maintained a state of war against the United States for nearly five decades through proxy attacks, narcotics trafficking, and the targeting of American officials. By framing the current strikes as a defensive necessity rather than an unprovoked assault, he suggests that the administration is finally addressing a long-standing threat to global security.

Air Power as a Catalyst for Internal Change

Addressing the strategic criticism that air power alone cannot topple a government, Oren points to historical precedents where sustained bombardment successfully crippled hostile regimes. He cites the 1999 NATO intervention in Serbia as a prime example, where aerial strikes forced a military withdrawal from Kosovo and accelerated the eventual collapse of Slobodan Milošević’s administration. Oren argues that while the primary goal of the current U.S. strikes is to eliminate the most immediate nuclear and ballistic threats, the secondary effect is the systematic degradation of the Iranian military infrastructure. This weakening of the central authority, he believes, will create the essential conditions for the Iranian people to reclaim their sovereignty through a popular uprising.

Refuting Strategic and Diplomatic Concerns

Critics have warned that the war in Iran could deplete American arsenals and embolden adversaries like Russia and China to take aggressive actions in Ukraine or Taiwan. Oren dismisses these fears, suggesting instead that the visible display of American military proficiency and political resolve will serve as a potent deterrent. He argues that the conflict is actually accelerating the production of advanced U.S. ordnance, such as anti-missile interceptors, rather than exhausting supplies. Furthermore, he indicates that the disruption of Iranian oil flows could serve a strategic purpose by denying China a vital source of energy, thereby exerting indirect pressure on Beijing’s own...