War Is Not Evil When It Stops Evil Men

Daily Update - May 21, 2026

Watch on YouTube

Listen

Like and Subscribe

Episode summary:

War with Iran is already here; the only real question is whether America will finally confront the evil regime that has fueled chaos in the Middle East for nearly half a century. In this Daily Update, Reuel lays out why negotiations with Tehran have repeatedly failed and why President Trump must recognize that time only strengthens the mullahs’ grip on power. He walks through Iran’s economic collapse, military weakness, and dependence on a narrow strip of water that keeps global oil and trade flowing. Reuel argues that true peace and freedom for the Iranian people will only come when the United States decisively dismantles the regime’s military and economic power.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

00:00 – Why “ending the war” means ending the government of Iran, not rewarding it.
00:11 – Fox News report on IRGC General Ahmad Vahidi’s threat of “worldwide devastation.”
00:33 – How Iran is economically and militarily ruined, yet still rattles its saber.
01:41 – The case against negotiations: why Iran’s evil leadership will never deal in good faith.
02:15 – What decisive U.S. military action would look like—and how it could finally free the Iranian people and secure the region.

What you can do

If you’re tired of watching Washington kick the can down the road while Iran’s leaders threaten our allies and our interests, share this update with friends who need to hear a clear, unapologetic explanation of what’s really at stake. Make sure you’re subscribed to The Wilmington Standard Daily Update on your favorite podcast platform, and visit our website to read, comment, and pass along this episode to others who care about American strength and the cause of freedom in the Middle East.

It is time to end this war – but only by ending the government of Iran.

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Fox News is reporting Major General Ahmad Vahidi – commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard – is threatening a worldwide devastation if further actions are taken against his country. He proclaims to the US and our allies:

you will receive devastating blows that will leave you in abject defeat and consign your ignominy to the annals of history.

Those are big words from a country which lies in economic and military ruin. It has limited means to generate power, has no way to manufacture anything of value – including armaments, its financial system is in complete ruin, and it will have to start capping oil wells because they cannot export anything. Yet, they continue to rattle their sabers because that has been the playbook of the last 47 years which up to this point has worked.

President Trump needs to understand that time and negotiation with Iran will not end with any favorable outcome towards the west. Iran is led by evil men – who will commit any evil deed – to cement their power over their people, the region, and indeed the world that relies on a strip of water for oil and other goods.

The only action at this point that results in lasting change in the region – including for the people of Iran who are longing to be free - is the complete and utter destruction of key military and economic targets in Iran. We know where all of their missile launchers are – blow them up. We know where their military personnel are housed – blow them up as well. We know that Iran will come to a grinding halt if it loses it main oil depot located at Kharg Island – we need to take that away and occupy it. We need to target the homes of every one of its leadership because everyone of them is corrupt and evil, and completely destroy any capability of the government of Iran to do anything else except beg for unconditional surrender and yielding to every stated terms of the United States.

President Trump hates war – and he is quite right to have tried negotiation to bring about a change in the Middle East. But war itself is not evil – and in this case unleashing the full and awesome power of the United States military against the evil leadership of Iran will be certain to bring about a lasting good.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.

Reuel Sample is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wilmington Standard. A graduate of Grove City College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has served as both a Presbyterian Pastor and a Navy Chaplain. He is the product of a classical liberal arts education combined with real world experience in politics and business and conservative Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition. He is the host of several podcasts including the NHC GOP Podcast, the Pastor's Voice, and co-hosts the Nikki and Reuel Podcast Experience. An avid sailor, he has sailed around the world as a youth and to the Azores as a teen as well as extensive trips up and down the east coast of the United States. He is honored to be married to his wife Pam and makes his home in Wilmington, NC.