Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the war with Iran has fundamentally reshaped the Middle East in America's favor, leaving Tehran weaker, Israel stronger, and President Donald Trump with a historic opportunity to secure long-term regional stability.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Rice argued that while the conflict has yet to produce a decisive military victory, it has achieved critical strategic goals.
"The three-month military campaign degraded Iran's ability to project power," Rice wrote, pointing to damage inflicted on Iran's conventional forces, missile stockpiles, and proxy networks.
The biggest winner, she said, is Israel.
"In this regard, Israel has never been more secure," Rice wrote, noting that Jerusalem's military response following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack severely weakened Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
Rice also said the war accelerated cooperation among the United States, Israel, and key Arab nations through intelligence sharing and joint defense efforts.
Many Arab governments that once opposed Israel now view cooperation with the Jewish state as beneficial for economic growth, technology, and modernization.
The former secretary of state argued that the conflict also exposed major weaknesses inside Iran. The regime's leadership was shown to be vulnerable to American military power and allied intelligence capabilities, while Tehran's leverage over global energy markets proved more limited than many believed.
Most important, Rice contended, U.S. and Israeli military operations significantly delayed Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"It will be a long time before Iran can build a viable nuclear weapon," she wrote.
While Iran may still possess stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, Rice argued that key nuclear infrastructure, conversion facilities, centrifuge networks, and leading scientists were devastated during the campaign.
Rice urged the Trump administration to resist calls for sanctions relief or concessions in future negotiations.
"Not a single penny of frozen assets or sanctions relief should go to Tehran," she wrote, warning that Iran previously used such funds to rebuild its military capabilities and support terrorist proxies.
She also called for continued military readiness and deeper intelligence cooperation with regional allies to ensure Iran cannot rebuild its nuclear or missile programs.
While acknowledging that the conflict has not toppled the Iranian regime, Rice said Tehran is weaker and more isolated than at any point in recent years.
"Strategic patience is hard, and it isn't always satisfying. But time is on the side of the U.S. and its allies," Rice wrote. "Reaching no deal is fine. Reaching a bad deal isn't."