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By Dr. Glenn Mollette

If Iran had successfully dropped a nuclear bomb on Israel or New York City, the world would have blamed President Donald Trump. People everywhere would have said, “President Trump could have done something about their nuclear building site, but he didn’t.” This is something that will never be said. He and our military leadership certainly made an effort last weekend to dismantle Iran’s nuclear bomb-building facilities. Let’s hope their ability was completely eliminated.

While we are tired of wars and spending billions of dollars on wars and losing our men and women to wars, we can’t really rest with a growing cancer. We cannot ignore a malignancy. When the doctor says, “You have a very serious malignancy in part of your body,” then the malignancy must have our full and complete attention. It has to be eliminated. This may be done with radiation, chemotherapy or a surgery. Left alone and ignored, the cancer will only grow to eventually make you sicker and, ultimately, bring about death.

Sadly, Iran’s program to build a nuclear weapon has been like a growing malignancy with a loudly ringing bell. The warning signs and alarm signals have been increasing for years. American intelligence has been well aware of Iran’s progress. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been sounding the alarm loudly the last couple of years. Of course, he would be terrified. He is well aware that such a weapon possessed by Iran would soon be squarely aimed at Israel and could almost certainly annihilate the entire country.

Iran has been the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror since the early ’80s. The events and gangs it has financially supported compile a long list. For many years, their motto has been “death to Israel” and “death to America.”

Unfortunately, the bunker-busting bombs dropped on Iran’s research facilities Saturday night probably didn’t end anything. Hopefully, it took away the threat of nuclear attack for a few years. Unfortunately, the poisonous hate within the leadership of Iran is most likely now at an even greater fever pitch.

A few years back, my wife and I were walking a mountain trail. She looked down and saw a poisonous copperhead serpent ready to strike at us. She quickly aimed the pepper spray she was carrying and shot the snake right in its face. We leaped forward for several feet. The snake was momentarily stunned and frozen by the spray. Suddenly, the serpent was striking wildly in every direction, trying to find us even though it appeared blinded by the spray. The venom from the bite of that poisonous snake could have been deadly. A few minutes later, that snake raced off down the hill, very much alive to strike at someone again.

Iran is stunned, but the poisonous leadership of the country that has sponsored terror groups and spewed hate toward Israel and America is still alive.

Very importantly, there are millions and millions of good, hard-working people in Iran. Let’s pray for them and for a change of leadership in this nation.

(Dr. Glenn Mollette was a senior minister for 39 years and served as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His column is printed in over 800 newspapers.)