In this edition of Washington Watch, host Tony Perkins delves into the unfolding military operations in Iran following President Trump’s decisive action against Tehran’s regime. Congressman John McGuire offers insights into the military strategy while breaking down the potential impact on global allies. Delve into the intricate networks of international power plays and the gravity of such high-stakes military operations.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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Today, the United States military continues to carry out large-scale combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime. This was our last best chance to strike what we’re doing right now and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime.
SPEAKER 10 :
That was President Donald Trump earlier today addressing the strikes against Iran now in their third day. Welcome to this March 2nd edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, coming up, Virginia Congressman and former Navy SEAL John McGuire will join me shortly to break down the strikes on Iran and discuss how this conflict is likely to impact Israel and the broader Middle East. And Pastor Jack Hibbs, the senior and founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in California, will join me with a biblical perspective of what is unfolding in the Middle East. Does the Bible speak to what we’re witnessing? Well, the U.S. and Israel continued strikes in Iran for a third day. The president spoke to reporters earlier today for the first time since the attack on Iran began, stating that he ordered the attack to stop Tehran’s nuclear development and ballistic missile program. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper. Casey, did the president indicate how long these strikes, this conflict with Iran, could continue?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, thanks Tony. They’ve been a bit vague, but President Trump did say the strikes could continue four to five weeks, but he’s also said that the U.S. has the capability to go far longer if needed. We’ve also seen language coming out of Israel saying they’ll do this as long as it takes. But the conflict is expanding in the Middle East as Iran has launched strikes against Israel but also U.S. military bases in Gulf countries to the west and the south. And that’s led to retaliatory strikes. More than 50 people have been killed in Lebanon after Israel launched their own counter strikes in response to missile fire from their old nemesis Hezbollah, which has long been based out of southern Lebanon. Now, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described this mission of Operation Epic Fury as laser focused, said they’re focused on destroying Iran’s offensive missiles, taking out their Navy and other security infrastructure, and stopping them from getting nuclear weapons. Here’s a clip from earlier today.
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To the media outlets and political left screaming endless wars, stop. This is not Iraq. This is not endless. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission. Destroy the missile threat. Destroy the Navy. No nukes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Meanwhile, officials in Iran say more than 500 people have been killed since this all began, though we are a little wary of always taking those numbers at face value, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right, right. Well, Casey, as I understand, the war in Iran has also put authorities here at home on high alert. Cities across America are increasing security measures amid this escalating conflict. And there’s a history behind this. We’ve seen attacks before, a lot of them lone wolf attacks. But what do we know thus far as we saw an attack over the weekend in Texas that’s being investigated as a possible terrorist-linked attack?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, that’s right, Tony. A lot of law enforcement agencies are showing some of that concern for the same reasons that you laid out. I mean, Homeland Security Secretary Christine Noem says she’s working with federal intelligence and law enforcement partners to monitor any other potential threats that could come up. And she actually sent a bulletin to law enforcement partners warning that these increased tensions could inspire not just lone actor attacks like we saw, as you mentioned, in Austin, but also cyber attacks. In fact, here’s Senator Tom Cotton on these heightened security measures.
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the FBI is taking every potential threat around the nation very seriously. This is, by the way, another very compelling reason that we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security immediately. The Democrats are highly irresponsible to keep Homeland Security unfunded while we’re in the middle of a war against the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism.
SPEAKER 04 :
Now you mentioned that shooting, the tragic shooting in Austin left two dead as well, along with the gunman dead and 14 injured. And there’s now U.S. law enforcement is investigating the terror links there to the mass shooting, as there was apparently reports of Islamic and Iranian memorabilia on the shooter.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, we’re going to take a look at that a little deeper, Casey, later with Tim Miller, president of Lionheart International Services Group. Let’s switch gears. I want to talk about another major domestic story. Voters in several states head to the polls tomorrow. Yes, yes, yes, it’s election time. So in the primaries, these are the first primaries of the year. Tell us where those are happening because people need to be informed.
SPEAKER 04 :
Tony, my home state of Texas. We remember the Alamo, but you also have to remember to vote. The first primary races of the midterm elections are taking place not just in the great state of Texas, but also Arkansas and North Carolina. Now, in Texas in particular, this marks the most expensive primary in state history, and that’s on both sides of the aisle. On the Republican side, Senator John Cornyn is facing off in a three-way race against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt. Now, on the Democrat side, Congressman Jasmine Crockett is facing off against a state rep, James Tallarico. Now, FRC Action has put together voter guides for our listeners to help inform them of issues as well as policies and the political standings of those running. For those interested, you can go to iVoterGuide.com. That’s iVoterGuide.com and learn more, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, Casey, thanks so much. I don’t assume you’re going to run back to Texas and vote, though, are you?
SPEAKER 04 :
No, I don’t think I can make it. All right. You got me working.
SPEAKER 10 :
I know. I know. All right. I want to go back now to the U.S. military operation Epic Fury, which was launched against Iran Saturday morning. Joining us now to discuss is Congressman John McGuire, member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He is also a veteran of the United States Navy, having served as a Navy SEAL with multiple deployments there. in countries across the world. He represents the 5th Congressional District of Virginia. Congressman McGuire, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 15 :
Hey, Tony, good to see you. Yeah, a lot going on in the world right now, huh?
SPEAKER 10 :
There is. There is. Before we jump into Iran, I just want to ask one question. You were part of the Oversight Committee last week. You were a part of the depositions there in New York with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton. What were your takeaways from that?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, the first thing, a former secretary of state was the highest person ever questioned in 250 years of Congress. And then the president is obviously the highest person ever questioned, a former president. So what I would say is it’s a lot of selective memory. You know, Hillary Clinton could literally remember what she had for breakfast in 1992. But if it came to the Epstein files or anything like that, I don’t remember. I don’t recall. I THINK THEY WERE PREPARED. I THINK THEY WERE PREPARED. SAME THING WITH BILL CLINTON. HOWEVER, I THINK THAT OUR LINE OF QUESTION, THEY WEREN’T PREPARED BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY GOT A LOT OF NEW INFORMATION OUT OF BILL CLINTON. PROBABLY GOT MORE INFORMATION OUT OF BILL CLINTON THAN WE DID HILLARY CLINTON. Yeah, I think so. Obviously, I don’t know what they’ve released yet. I’ve been busy meeting after meeting after meeting all day, and we’re not allowed to talk until it’s released. But definitely some follow-ups. And the one thing that was striking from Bill Clinton was he said even in the 90s, President Trump made a lot of noise about Epstein being a bad guy. So that I think that’s been leaked. So that’s just another example of the many exonerating our president. And then, of course, you know, some of the pictures of him in hot tubs and swimming pools and things with different girls. You know, we didn’t necessarily know the locations, but those locations came out. But again, once the full deposition is out, the public will see that.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, as I said last week, I don’t think this is going to go away anytime soon. This seems to be an issue that needs to be addressed. All right, I want to move on to Operation Epic Fury. Your take on what’s transpired over the last 72 hours.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, I got to tell you, first of all, our troops need all Americans on board. You know, I’ve seen some politicians trying to make it political. I would say don’t do that. You know how it’s like when you’re deployed. Our troops will never forget that. When I was a Navy SEAL, nobody knew if I was a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, we’re apolitical. We’re there to get the job done and get our boys and girls home safe. That’s the only thing we should be thinking about. So prayers and focus on making sure they get the job done. But this is going to be things that they’re going to study at West Point and other universities for 100 years. It is amazing. I mean, to be able to take out the leadership, which is the number one goal, they took out 48 in one hit. We thought it would take weeks or months to do that. They did it in one hit. That’s amazing. That’s a miracle. The next thing you want to do is take out their infrastructure, and we’ve been working really hard. I’m sorry, their command and control. We’ve taken out their command and control, and now we’re going after those 400 launchers and those 2,500 ballistic missiles. We know we’ve got 200 launchers, but they’ve got probably 200 left, and they’ve only fired 500, 600 ballistic missiles, which is a lot, but they’ve got a lot more left. So we have air superiority, and we are hunting them down. But what’s really striking to me is how Iran’s response was to attack their own allies. So now just about every country in the Middle East has joined the U.S.-Israeli side. And now I hear France, England and maybe Germany are supporting the U.S. efforts to stop this number one state of terror. So it’s very remarkable.
SPEAKER 10 :
It is. You know, one thing, Congressman McGuire, that the media, as I’ve read the media reports saying the Trump administration has gone into this without any clear objectives. They have no plan. And I mean, I’m listening to it. I’m reading it. Destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, annihilate its Navy and ensure that it will never obtain a nuclear weapon and prevent it from continuing to fund terrorist operations outside of their border. That sounds pretty defined to me.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s very clear. And by the way, Iran, this state of terror, has been terrorizing Americans and the world and the region for almost 50 years. A lot of your viewers may not know, but… In the early 70s, they had more women in elected position than in the United States, and they had more women in the workforce than the United States. And they had women at the beaches sunbathing. Then this regime comes in. They can’t go to school. They can’t drive a car. They cover their faces, cover their bodies, and they’re under extreme oppression. And that’s when all the terrorism started in the region and the world. And so it’s just, it’s a God thing that all these countries are circling the wagons to realize that if we could get rid of this regime, we could have peace in the Middle East, peace in the world.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, Congressman, I want you to put back on that Navy SEAL cap there for just a moment. We’re going to talk about this later in the program. But warfare today is asymmetrical. I mean, you’ve got terrorism is operating everywhere. We know we’ve got cells around the world. We potentially believe there are cells here in the United States. How long is it going to take to to really eradicate this threat?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, you never know. I think it’s until it’s done. But you brought up a good point. I think about 9-11. Remember how united our country was? Well, when the FBI did the investigation, they found several options or several situations where if an American here or there spoke up, you know, they saw something strange, but they ignored it. But what I would tell and I put that in my press releases to all Americans, be vigilant. If you see something, say something, do something. Let’s keep an eye on each other. We could have prevented a lot of things in our history if somebody would have just spoken up. Evil does exist. The Biden administration brought in 15 to 20 million people. We don’t know who they are. And that brings me to another point. We’ve passed 11 out of 12 spending bills. The Democrats are holding the Homeland Security spending bill hostage because they want to punish ICE. But ICE has already been funded through the one big beautiful bill, the work and family tax cut. What they’re doing is they’re hurting TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, and some of our intelligence assets that would help us prevent a terrorist attack on our homeland. So I hope that all of your viewers will reach out to their U.S. senators and their congressmen and say, vote yes to fund homeland security.
SPEAKER 10 :
All very good and relevant points. Congressman John McGuire, always great to see you. Thanks so much for pulling off to the side of the road and joining us this evening.
SPEAKER 15 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thanks for all you do, Tony.
SPEAKER 15 :
We appreciate you.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. Congressman John McGuire of Virginia. You know, one thing he started with was prayer. We need to be praying for our men and women in uniform, praying for our leaders. And I invite you to join us in that with a prayer pledge. Text the word Iran, Iran to 67742. That’s Iran to 67742. I-R-A-N to 67742. All right. When we come back, Dr. Michael Rubin, former Pentagon official, joins us. So don’t go away.
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When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal. That they’re endowed by their Creator. With certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th birthday, America. May God bless America.
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You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose, to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
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At the 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C., members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
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Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent. And we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation, even when we don’t deserve it.
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I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne. You said that you helped to humble, and we’re asking just now that you would help us, Lord. Amen.
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We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you. We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
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Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Again, you can join that effort to pray for what is unfolding in the Middle East. Pray for our nations. Pray for our nation. Pray for our men and women in the military. Pray for our leaders. Pray for the innocent folks in Iran and in that region. And of course, our ally Israel. Text the word Iran to 67742. And I’ll send you a link with the prayer points and the prayer pledge. Okay, as we’ve been talking about, the U.S.-Iran conflict is expanding as U.S. military strikes continue for the third day. Iran has launched strikes on neighboring countries who are allies of the U.S., Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, Iran. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia. Yesterday on Truth Social, President Trump warned Iran that if it continues attacks on American military bases, the U.S. would strike back with a force never seen before. So as the situation continues to unfold, what could be the long-term implications in the Middle East and beyond? Joining us now for analysis on the latest developments is a former Pentagon official, Dr. Michael Rubin, who currently serves as the Director of Policy Analysis at the Middle East He is also a senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute where he specializes in Middle Eastern countries. Dr. Rubin, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Hey, thanks for having me, Tony. So let’s talk about what’s happening now. The leadership has been essentially taken out. They’re going after command and control, going after these missiles. It looks like a pretty clearly stated mission that the U.S. military in Israel is undertaking. Am I reading that correctly?
SPEAKER 25 :
You are reading that correctly. What’s actually interesting, though, is while it appears that the United States has taken out some of the leadership, the leadership that it wanted to take out, other people have not been targeted. question then becomes, are they not being targeted because they’re simply on the B list for whatever drone or missile? Or are they not being targeted because Donald Trump is still thinking about a Venezuela-like solution of putting former regime officials in charge? I’m thinking specifically of the former presidents Hassan Rouhani, Mohamed Khatami, and the National Security Council director Ali Ladejani.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. Speaking of some leaders that have not been taken out, who’s directing Iran’s response right now?
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, that’s a very good question. And we don’t know for sure, but it seems that the person who has the greatest grasp over the command and control is Ali Ladejani, who’s the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He’s important because he was in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Then he became the deputy minister of social affairs. Then he became an advisor to Ali Khamenei. So it really checks all the bases. And he’s the one who has said that Iran isn’t going to negotiate with the United States. If he’s the one issuing those sorts of statements, it’s likely he’s in charge, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. So help me understand the strategy that they’ve kind of been employing of hitting neighboring countries and targeting their energy facilities, oil and gas facilities.
SPEAKER 25 :
There’s two things going on here, Tony, and I think they’re both mistakes on Iran’s part. First of all, by striking neighboring countries, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, even Cyprus, what the Iranians are trying to do is get these countries to intercede with the United States and say, Israel, United States, you need to stop. The opposite is actually happening, however. These countries are, who were fence sitters before, who weren’t necessarily happy with the conflict with Iran are now targeting Iran. The second issue, however, is that when going after the energy resources, the Iranians are trying to increase the price of that energy with the purpose of getting money for themselves, and also creating political pressure back in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think you’re right. I think Iran has underestimated the fact that a lot of these countries weren’t saying much, but they didn’t like the position that Iran was in because it was a latent threat to them.
SPEAKER 25 :
You’re absolutely right. But in this case, the Iranians really don’t have the ability to do what they’re doing for that long. First of all, the markets have experienced a short, a small bump in the price of oil, Tony. But remember, most of Iran’s oil was sanctioned anyway. And with Venezuela really coming back on, what Iran had been selling, they had been selling to China, and they had been selling illegally. So in this case, I suspect that the pressure that Iran wanted to assert on the United States and the region is rapidly going to decline.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, Dr. Rubin, you’re an expert in the Middle East. Help me understand what might be likely outcomes here. What parallels in history do we have of a regime being brought down like this, where the people there maybe take over? I mean, what are the likely outcomes?
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, you know, the best historical parallel would probably be Serbia in 1999, although it’s important to remember that in Serbia Slobodan Milosevic didn’t lose power immediately during the bombing campaign. He lost power shortly thereafter when he tried to remain in power after a fraudulent election. Other people will point out what happened to Imperial Japan. after World War II. But the important thing to remember, of course, is that was after World War II, after the Pacific theater fight and so forth. We bombed Iran, Japan into submission. But we’re not talking about using nuclear weapons here. The problem right now is that the Iranians believe that perhaps they can simply outlast Donald Trump because they have lots of evidence that Donald Trump doesn’t necessarily have the attention span to outlast them.
SPEAKER 10 :
Given your understanding of what they have, their capacity, the president is saying this could be four to five weeks, maybe a little bit longer than the United States is prepared to go longer. What is your sense?
SPEAKER 25 :
My sense is what you’re saying is true. The president has privately said he expects us to go on for about 40 days. He’s also told people that he believes that the United States is ahead of schedule. And that’s because instead of having to hunt down every single Iranian leader, they all decided to have breakfast together on the first day. So you have a situation where we actually are in good shape. The big question will be whether we run out of munitions, whether Israel runs out of munitions or defense, and whether the Gulf states run out of defense. But again, Iran is going to run out of the missiles and the drones it’s firing at people.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, we have 30, 45 seconds left. Dr. Rubin, does this open a new chapter of greater global instability or greater stability?
SPEAKER 25 :
It all depends on what the end result is in Iran. If we actually have a stable, non-Islamist republic, that’s going to be huge. That’s going to stabilize the entire region. If we have a civil war, that’s going to be the worst case scenario, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
Dr. Rubin, always appreciate your insights. Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon. Thank you. Well, folks, more for your prayer list. We want you to pray from an informed position. Text the word Iran to 67742 and join the prayer effort. All right, when we come back, more. So don’t go away.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
SPEAKER 24 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
SPEAKER 20 :
It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER 01 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat.
SPEAKER 10 :
You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. The website, TonyPerkins.com. All right. During the Biden administration, we saw record numbers of foreign nationals flooding into America, including some with ties to terrorism, some just walking across the border. Fortunately, the Trump administration has effectively re-secured our country’s border for the second time, and they’re working to apprehend bad actors who have come in. I know that’s another topic of discussion. We’re not going to go there, but we are going to focus on the fact that his administration has been trying to get the threats out of the country. But can it get them all? The concern is now heightened as the U.S. engages with the Islamic Republic of Iran in a war that might be drawn out over the course of several weeks. Are there sleeper cells here in the United States that could threaten Americans? Joining us now, to discuss this, former Secret Service Special Agent Tim Miller, a 30-year law enforcement and military professional whose extensive background includes leadership roles in Homeland Security and the Marine Corps, where he retired as Lieutenant Colonel. Today, he’s the founder and president of Lionheart International Services Group. Tim, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Thank you for having me, Tony. It’s an honor. I know you also worked at Homeland Security also in anti-terrorism, looking at the domestic threats. You know, we’ve seen this event yesterday or over the weekend in Texas. It’s being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. Is there reason for concern?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, Tony, you’re spot on. The last administration, you know, led up to 15 to 20 million people walk across. Well, the reason we have legal entry is so we can screen them. Now, I will tell you firsthand from talking to folks on the border and well into Mexico, there were groups of people walking across the border that absolutely. Absolutely raised every suspicion. But because they were just allowed to simply cross over, we’re still trying to identify them. And here’s the reality. If they’re here, which we know segments of them are here, and if they’re organized, not only is the threat real, it’s pending. And that’s a time for all believers to pray and prepare. It’s time.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I don’t want I’m going to talk about this a little bit more later. You know, people often just when you say prayer, they just think, well, OK, so we’re praying. But that’s like personal therapy. No, it’s not personal therapy. This is about asking God to intervene and protect this nation. And I’m going to talk with Pastor Jack Gibbs about that later. But let’s talk about some of the ways that we could see actions like what I saw from Texas, just reading into it briefly and just read a couple of news stories. This was kind of a lone wolf. This did not appear like this guy was connected to anything broader. Now, they may find as they comb through the information that he was connected. Didn’t look like it. But what kind of activities could occur here on U.S. soil?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Tony, you’re astute because there could be a wide range of attacks. That lone actor, just mad, angry, ideologically driven, that’s one problem. You put two or three of them together with a little bit of planning, you’ve got a bigger problem. But I’m concerned. And I’ve heard this across Intel chatter that there are established groups that have been hidden into network. Remember, Tony, it wasn’t too long ago they were screaming death to America from Tehran. Now they’re doing it in downtown New York City. So it’s a totally different threat if they’re organized, housed in a certain area and supported.
SPEAKER 10 :
Tim, let me ask you this. Are you concerned that in some cases they may have infiltrated law enforcement somewhere in some parts of our country?
SPEAKER 08 :
A hundred percent, Tony. And the reason that is concerning is that, remember, under the DEI, you know, swath, it didn’t really matter so much your qualifications or background. It was all about you fit a particular group. well it’d be pretty easy for somebody with radical ideology to get hired under those circumstances remember too many of the folks that cross the border there’s no legitimate way to track them back that’s what we used to do after 9 11 but now it’s much more difficult because we’re not even sure who they are or where they are and credit to president trump he’s doing everything he can to deal with this mess But if you think of a percentage, people go, it’s a small percentage, a small percentage of radical ideologues of 15 million people. Imagine the carnage they can show.
SPEAKER 10 :
Absolutely. It doesn’t take much. And for those that would say, well, I don’t think they’ve gotten into our infrastructure. Well, I remember the Fort Hood shooting. There was an army. I think he was a captain who who actually killed 13 people. there, radicalized. So, I mean, this is, we have a history of this. We’ve seen it here within our country. This is just one of those things we, I think we need to be, as you said, prepared, prayerful. Very quickly, before we run out of time, we’ve got a little over a minute left. Churches, are they a target in this environment?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, they absolutely are. Remember, Tony, they’re the ideological center of the hatred from radical Muslim ideology. They hate Jews and Christians. And it’s not Jews or Christians. It’s both. And so it is time that churches recognize that the old days of grandma and grandpa’s church are gone. We need to have active training. I’m not saying we make it up. a fortress that we absolutely don’t want to do that, but we want to be wise, prepared, and alert. Remember, one person seeing the right thing can stop an attack. These folks often use pre-operational surveillance. They pay attention to targets, map it out. One person who’s paying attention reports it to authorities can make a big difference.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right, right. Just Prayerful and prepared, but not fearful. We don’t need to operate in a state of fear. Tim, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us and lending us your expertise. Thank you, sir. Be blessed. All right. Tim Miller with Lionheart International. prayer and so i want to invite you once again to to join that prayer effort and join others in taking the prayer pledge text iran to 67742 that’s iran to 67742 we need to be praying and we need to be praying for our president and his cabinet as they’re making these decisions praying for our men and women in the military who are on the front lines praying for us here at home praying for israel praying for the people in iran don’t go away we’re back after this We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
SPEAKER 02 :
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates, and multiple Republican congressmen.
SPEAKER 12 :
There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug Mifeprestone. Nearly 70 percent of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
SPEAKER 27 :
The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state. unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 19 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 11 :
And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
SPEAKER 07 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 22 :
It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
SPEAKER 27 :
We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 12 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 21 :
The Stand Firm app brings trusted Family Research Council resources together in one place. Stay informed with news articles from the Washington Stand, watch interviews from Washington Watch, explore courses produced by FRC, and find many other resources to equip you to engage culture and government from a biblical perspective. Download the Stand Firm app today by texting APP to 67742 or by searching for Stand Firm in your app store.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. All right, be sure and join the effort to pray. Text the word Iran to 67742. That’s Iran to 67742. Our word for today comes from Leviticus chapter 10. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, laid incense on it and offered profane fire before the Lord, something he had not commanded. Fire went out from the Lord and consumed them and they died before him. Moses said to Aaron, by those who come near me, I must be regarded as holy. And before all the people, I must be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. Profane can also be translated strange or foreign, something unauthorized, a deviation from what God had prescribed. Their sin was not enthusiasm, but presumption. They approached God on their own terms rather than his. God’s holiness requires that we come to him as he reveals, not as we prefer. That truth may grate against modern sensibilities. We live in an age that prizes informality and assumes grace eliminates reverence. Yet grace never abolishes holiness. It magnifies it. We’re not saved because we act holy. We pursue holiness because we are saved. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. All right. As we’ve been discussing, three days after the U.S. military began its major large scale combat operation against Iran’s brutal regime, President Trump said today that it will continue to carry out Operation Epic Fury to eliminate the threats posed to America and our allies by Tehran. And while the president revealed a four to five week projected timeline for the operation, he said the U.S. military has the capacity to go for longer than that. This is what he said.
SPEAKER 16 :
We continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people, and a threat indeed it is. We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it’s okay, whatever it takes.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I do not believe it’s going to end quickly. But let me say this. Let me be very, very clear. I am grateful for a president who takes bold and decisive action. I believe his actions were justified. That said, we need to go into this as believers with our spiritual eyes wide open. Joining us now to discuss this, Pastor Jack Hibbs, senior and founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California, and my battle buddy. Pastor Jack, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 18 :
Thank you, Tony. As always, brother, thank you very much.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, as I was processing this over the weekend, I was actually very slow to comment on it. I didn’t comment on it until yesterday because I wanted to pray through it. And you and I were texting, have been texting for the last week about this. One of the first things that came to mind was Daniel chapter 10. When Daniel had been praying and when the angel came to help, he said, there’s the battle been raging with the prince of Persia. I think one of the things we need to understand, and I do believe that the president was right in his action. It was decisive. This needed to be eliminated. But we also need to be mindful that there is more than what meets the physical eye.
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, you said it exactly right. Let’s remember that the scriptures make it clear that God establishes kings and he removes kings. And only the believer has the proper worldview on this. We may boast in our chariots and our horses, so to speak, But as a nation that is founded upon Judeo-Christian worldview values, that means we appreciate the spiritual realm more. And so, Tony, look, I am grateful also for the military and for Trump’s leadership. That said, we need to tread right now with humility. I get a little nervous when we start… popping the cork, so to speak, too soon about how great we are and all that. We need to be talking about how great our God is. But Americans need to realize, in fact, Westerners need to realize that the Islamic ideology of the Shia that control Iran, at least we think they still do, is that, Tony, they believe in an ideology of creating a catastrophic scenario that brings back their Mahdi, their Messiah. So what we look like in celebrating a victory, believe it or not, in the Islamic mind, a loss of such catastrophe is a belief system to them that their Messiah is near. I mean, I’m not saying that’s correct. Of course, I disagree. But this is a time where we need to be humble. We need to be biblical. And I just hope that there are strong believers speaking into our Secretary of War and, of course, the president’s ear.
SPEAKER 10 :
One hundred percent. In fact, that was a part of my I put out a statement yesterday was that this was not a time for fist bumping, but knee bending. We need to be interceding for those in leadership. And I kind of tie this back. I think you and I talked about this. One of the things the president said in the State of the Union last week that made me a little uncomfortable was when the president, he made a comment. And this is a pretty close quote to what he said, is that when God needs a miracle, he calls the United States. I know. That just, no, we need to call upon God. Again, I do appreciate this president, his decisive, bold action, but humility is needed. It is without the hand of God guiding and protecting, this is not going to end well. And that’s kind of my thinking as I pray through this, thinking through this, we’re taking on God. well-entrenched spiritual principalities and powers, ancient, that have been around a long time and they know a lot about how mankind works. This is where Christians come in, Bible-believing Christians. I made reference to this earlier. When we talk about praying, people want to be dismissive of that’s like some kind of personal therapy. We’re talking about appealing to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. We can move the hand of heaven by our prayers and intercession. That’s the type of prayer I think the church needs to be involved in right now.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I just challenged the church yesterday. We were talking about what do the scriptures say about what’s possibly happening right now with Iran. Remember, Iran is Persia. which the origin of Persia was Elam. You can read about that in Jeremiah 49, verses 34 to 39. By the way, that prophecy, a lot of people want to debate it, but that prophecy says that these things will happen in the latter days. Tony, verse 39 qualifies that part of God’s judgment on Elam. That said… is that we need to remember that God doesn’t… Throughout Scripture, God shows the underdog winning, like David, against Goliath because David was dependent upon God. It doesn’t mean that a Goliath can fall on his knees and repent. There’s nothing wrong with being a giant that knows the Lord, but he never saves with many. And so I am rooting for our victory as well. More than victory, Tony, can I put it this way? As believers, I think we should be rooting for righteousness.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 18 :
Not so much victory. I’m not interested in victory. I’m interested in righteousness because without righteousness, there cannot be a revival in the church. Without righteousness, there cannot be a beautiful church that can win people to Christ.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, we know what Scripture says, but we don’t know the timeline. The Lord has not given us that. But what do you see could be some possible outcomes so that we could be praying into that as we look at what is unfolding right now in the Middle East?
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, well, I tell you what, I’ll mention it again. Make Jeremiah 49 verses 34 to 39 your prayer structure regarding what’s happening. In other words, God is speaking. He says, I’m going to deal with Elam and I’m going to break their bow, their bow, so they cannot launch anything anymore. I will destroy their king and his descendants and all those of Elam who have been driven to the four corners of the earth. I will bring back into their land in the last days at the latter times. That said, let’s do this. Let’s pray for the salvation of the tens of thousands. If not, what is it, Tony? Tucker Carlson taught us that it was 93 million people. Let’s pray for 93 million people to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus because you and I have a mutual friend, Secretary Mike Pompeo, who told us during COVID, that the CIA monitored the largest download of private information during COVID, and it was in Iran, and it was Bible, Bible sermons, Bible apps, all of these things. This is the fruit of it now, Tony. This is the fruit of all of that Bible download is possibly the salvation of those of Persia.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, I’m not going to say how, but this program is actually seen in Iran as well. Now, I’m not sure about today, given all that’s taken place there. But there is a deep root there in Iran that we need to be praying that, as you said, the people are called back there. I want to go, you made reference to Jeremiah 49. I want to read one. I want you to kind of expand upon this because you and I did talk about this last week. Jeremiah 49, 38, and I will set up my throne in Elam, and I will destroy from there the king and the princes, said the Lord. Does that mean it comes under the dominion of God?
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, I believe, first of all, we all know this, that he will set up his throne in Zion. The throne of the Lord is Zion. There’s… That’s without a debate. But I believe that when it says Elam, that he’ll set up his throne. I believe that he is declaring because remember, he’s he is countering the fact that there’s a king and there’s his descendants. They’re going to be destroyed. I will set up, Tony, my authority.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right. That’s what a throne often represents. Exactly. Right. Right.
SPEAKER 18 :
Exactly. It doesn’t mean that Jesus or the Lord is going to set up a physical throne in Elam. It means that Elam is going to come under the authority of the Lord. And are we seeing… Could it be that Bible prophecy is… The door is beginning to open in Elam in Persia where the Lord… People are calling upon the name of the Lord. And if this… Well, we know this is going on. If it’s on a mass scale, Tony, it could be that we’re going to see… We are watching, perhaps… This establishment of his authority. And how does he do that? We should ask as believers, how does God establish his authority in the earth? Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Darius, how did he do it? He uses nations to set up his authority and he uses nations to judge other nations. And he could be using right now Israel and America to judge the sin of Iran or at least the Islamic leadership.
SPEAKER 10 :
With that in mind, and I think that is something we should be praying into because we could see a spiritual awakening and revival that would consume Iran. But for those nations that God uses, they need to be used with humility, looking to God and not with arrogance, because we’ve seen how that happens and mercy. Because we have seen what has happened historically to nations that have not displayed mercy and gone beyond what God had called them to do.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, just so well-spoken, because when you talk about, you mentioned Daniel. Daniel was broken. Daniel was crying out. And isn’t it amazing, Tony, that when the angels showed up to answer Daniel’s prayer, the angels said, hey, when you started praying, your prayer was heard 21 days ago. I’ve just been caught up in a spiritual warfare in the atmosphere, and I finally made it through to give you the answer that God has for you. I mean, that seems absolutely crazy to the average individual. But in the spiritual realm, when we pray, demonic forces are undone. They get confused. When we pray, calling upon the Lord for his will to be done, God sends spiritual arrows and confusion into the camp of the enemy, and they become completely… In fact, they turn their weapons upon themselves both spiritually, and we know this even in the physical realm, where Israel’s enemies often attack themselves. So we want to make sure that this nation of ours humbles ourself. By the way, Tony, that’s us. Listen, I’m in California right now. Gavin Newsom’s not going to humble himself, but I’m supposed to humble myself. I’m supposed to seek the Lord. And the church in America needs to be humble, pray. We should be fasting right now, in my opinion, and calling upon the name of the Lord. That’s what’s going to save both the United States and Iran is if we seek him.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s the authority that we’ve been given as believers. You know, we often feel like we can’t do anything, that we’re powerless. We’ve got to look to those officials in Washington or those officials over here or wherever it might be. Yes, God has placed them and the president is handling what we see in the physical realm. But we have a responsibility in the spiritual realm to go before God. even what this administration is doing in the natural. And that’s the authority and the power we have to go before the throne of God and plead for his hand to be upon this nation, upon the people of Iran, upon the people of Israel and the greater Middle East.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I love this. So you and I do not have the authority to issue a command to launch rockets to sink an Iranian navy. We don’t have that authority. It’s not going to happen. But listen, Right now, our president and our war fighters, they need our prayers. They don’t even realize that. Many of them don’t even know that. When we bow the knee to pray, we from California or from Washington, D.C., we can interject the power of God by prayer into the situation that can come no other way. A president cannot sway God apart from humility and prayer. And if the president is not praying, well, that’s okay. That’s where the church comes in. We should be praying humbly and seeking God’s righteousness in the outcome of, frankly… You know, we talk about a regime change going on. Let’s go deeper. Let’s talk about praying and acting in righteousness in such a way that this war leads to the complete breakup, the demonic strongholds of the prince of Persia and completely leaves their demonic authority in dust.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, you say the authority. I mean, Daniel didn’t necessarily have the authority, but he was praying and he was affecting change, change that changed history. That’s what we’ve been given as believers, the authority to do. Pastor Jack Hibbs, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks so much for taking time to join me on this Monday.
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, Tony, I love you, brother, and I’ll see you in the next fight.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, brother. Love you, too. All right, Pastor Jack Hibbs, Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. And he did preach on this yesterday. If you want to check out his sermon, you can go to his website. All right. Text the word Iran to 67742. Iran to 67742. And join this prayer effort. And as we were talking about, prayer is not an idle, passive activity. It changes history. All right, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he talks about all of this. When he says, when you have prayed, when you have taken your stand, he says, just keep standing.
SPEAKER 05 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
