Since the early days of the Iranian Revolution, the U.S. and its allies have pursued a strategy of reaching out to supposed moderates within the regime, while focusing on a narrow set of issues to the detriment of human rights and the Iranian people’s struggle for democracy.

Separating Iranian people from regime a good first step

The Trump administration’s strategy of confronting the regime's onslaught is a departure from this trend. In that speech and several others, President Trump has placed notable emphasis on the plight of the Iranian people, accurately describing them as the primary victims of the clerical regime.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the fact that the Tehran regime is the leading per capita executioner of its own citizens.

It remains to be seen how far Europe will follow the United States' lead, but there is reason for optimism if the White House maintains the proper focus as it continues to develop and implement an “integrated strategy” for addressing all of Iran’s malign activities.