Surprise! The Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be trusted. They lie, dither, and lie some more. We all knew this, but President Trump perhaps too generously has given Iran multiple chances to come to a peaceful resolution of this half-century long conflict. The inescapable ugly reality is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will never surrender or give up. They simply must be annihilated; that’s the only way to end their maniacal reign of terror.

The IRGC is not remotely interested in compromise and certainly not surrender. It’s only political in that they crave total power, but for the IRGC and mullahs it’s religious. They earnestly believe their duty is to bring about Armageddon so that the Twelfth Iman will return and Islam will rule the earth. They are insane fanatics, so logic and reason have no bearing with them.

The people of Iran are suffering and desperately want to be liberated from this cruel Islamist tyranny. It seems some Iranian politicians may want to negotiate, but the people in power which are the ones with guns, the IRGC, thwart every attempt at peace and they always will.

The repeated attacks by the IRGC during the ceasefire and negotiations are making a mockery of the so-called peace negotiations with Iran. Again, no surprise; this is the traditional Iranian strategy – attack, negotiate, stall, rearm, and attack again. We have seen it many times.

Trump’s blockade put a stranglehold on the Iranian economy and after taking a severe beating after weeks of relentless bombing, Iran came to the table. But they only negotiated to pause the bombing long enough to rearm and resume hostilities. Sorry, but they are playing us.

Iran’s persistent obstinance is sadly making Trump look foolish. We have heard for weeks that Iran’s military has been decimated, but almost every day they somehow launch another attack. Certainly not as effective anymore, Iran has definitely been weakened, but they are still mustering enough capacity to attack. It’s less, but it’s still terror because no one knows when or where.

The Navy can escort ships through the Straits of Hormuz, but even random attacks will stifle commerce and keep oil prices elevated. So, the Iranian coast must be razed so that no military capability is left to threaten the straits. We must show that Iran has lost that card.

Re-implementing the blockade is a positive step, but starving the Iranian economy is not enough because the IRGC does not care about the misery of their citizens. Remember the IRGC has no compunctions about slaughtering their own people. Economic disaster may help motivate the people to resist more, but they still don’t have the means to rise up against the IRGC.

The Iranian regime must be brought to its knees. That’s the only thing they understand. Trump has been threatening “bridge and power plant” day for weeks. We are past threats. Trump should take out Iran’s bridges and power plants tomorrow. Plunge Iran into darkness and eliminate their ability to be resupplied by China and Russia.

Furthermore, we need to eliminate a few more echelons of leadership. American and Israeli intelligence knows where these thugs are hiding. Do everyone in the Middle East a favor and take them out. The IRGC is a minority of bullies; they won’t be missed. The IRGC and mullahs are the singular obstacle to peace and stability; remove them now.

The last time the USA won a war and achieved lasting peace was WWII. The key was total victory and unconditional surrender and that is the only way we end Iran’s brutal tyranny and unrelenting threat to the world. The IRGC and mullahs will only stop when they are no more.

President Trump has made a gallant effort to end Iran’s terror with the least amount of carnage, but Iran refuses to cooperate. Mr. President it’s time to finish this. Bomb Iran into the stone age, take Kharg Island and their oil, and eliminate the IRGC and mullah leadership. Start now and it will be over before the midterm elections. You control the Straits of Hormuz, so you can keep oil prices down.

The American people have had enough. Finish it! Defeat Iran now!

“Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 108:13).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.