The US-Iran memorandum has created uncertainty across the region, but the deeper issue is not the document itself. According to Prof. Dan Schueftan, the real question is whether open, democratic societies still have the will to defend themselves against radical forces that seek their destruction.

His argument is simple: the Middle East does not reward wishful thinking. It rewards strength, determination and fear of consequences. Against Iran and its proxies, there are no magic solutions, no stable diplomatic formulas and no final settlement that removes the threat. There is only deterrence — and the violent maintenance of that deterrence when enemies test it.

For Israel, this means that survival cannot depend on outside guarantees or optimistic regional declarations. Israel must remain the one place in the democratic world willing to prove that aggression carries a crushing price.