Jeb Bush, Iranian watchdog group praise US-Israeli strikes on Iran

FIRST ON FOX: A major public policy nonprofit co-led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush praised President Donald Trump for ordering Saturday’s military strikes against Iran.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) was formed by Bush and Ambassador Mark Wallace – who held a United Nations post in Bush’s brother’s administration and also advised Ohio Governor John Kasich’s presidential campaign – to combat threats posed by the Islamic Republic. The group has been on the front lines of exposing human rights abuses and attacks on Americans by Iran, and advising policymakers and the business community about the dangers posed by Tehran.

The organization advises Iran’s existing and potential trading partners regarding the legal, financial and reputational risks associated with this type of trade.

“UANI salutes the courage and professionalism of the American and Israeli military personnel who are carrying out this historic mission against the Iranian regime,” Bush and Wallace told Fox News Digital on Saturday.

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump (L) and Jeb Bush participate in the presidential debates at the Reagan Library on September 16, 2015 in Simi Valley, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“We commend President Trump for his courageous decision to launch this military operation. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has unleashed terror, violence and misery – against its own people and across the region – while threatening the United States, Israel and our allies.

Bush, who ran against Trump in a bruising 2016 primary, and Wallace noted that many presidents have tried to bring Iran into the “peaceful community of nations” but have failed to finish the job.

“This President has engaged thoroughly and in good faith to reach a diplomatic solution,” they said, as Trump indicated as recently as last week that he was interested in negotiating terms.

“The regime chose escalation and continued its quest for nuclear weapons. Responsibility for this situation lies squarely with Ayatollah Khamenei.”

Khamenei, 86, was declared dead by Israeli sources late in the afternoon.

Bush and Wallace added that it was clear that the joint US-Israeli operation was not directed against Iran, the country and its citizens, but against Khamenei’s “deadly capabilities.”

The Iranian people, they say, have long suffered from repression and Trump’s message since the start of the strikes should be adopted by all Americans:

“We want to see Iran free, prosperous and at peace. This is the time for them to take back their great country.”

“The butcher of Tehran is dead,” they added in a separate public statement.

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Bush added in a statement on X that “Operation Epic Fury marks a historic mission against the Iranian regime.”

“We salute the courage and professionalism of the American and Israeli military and applaud their courageous decision,” he said.

Bush’s own relationship with Trump appears to have warmed since their bitter feuds a decade ago.

During the 2016 election, Trump dubbed the Republican Party scion “Low Energy Jeb”, while Bush joked that the mogul wouldn’t be able to “insult your way to the presidency” – after the eventual winner mocked an ad former first lady Barbara Bush had filmed for her son.

While governor, Bush made improving public education a hallmark of his administration in Tallahassee. Bush implemented stricter proficiency standards in elementary education and signed what was dubbed the “A+ Plan,” making Florida the first state to require clear grades on student performance.

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He recently hailed the Trump administration’s overtures toward universal school choice and federal block grants as a “transformational opportunity.”

“The Trump administration has a chance to shift the power dynamic back to the states, where policymakers are uniquely equipped to understand and respond to the diverse needs of their students, schools and communities,” he added in a column in Education Week.

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