FARGO, ND — Alex Balazs, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives and former military instructor, provided a blunt assessment of the escalating conflict in Iran on Monday. Balazs argued that securing enriched uranium and supporting an internal uprising are the only viable paths toward long-term peace in the Middle East.
The Nuclear Imperative
Balazs emphasized that any successful resolution to the conflict must involve the total removal or securing of Iran’s enriched uranium. While discussing the logistics of such an operation, he noted that while special forces could play a role, the most sustainable solution lies with the Iranian people themselves.
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The Goal: Ending Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
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The Method: A combination of selective special operations and internal resistance to secure underground facilities and tunnels.
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The Outlook: Balazs agreed that “boots on the ground” might be necessary but preferred that those boots belong to the Iranian people reclaiming their country.
A Strategy of Internal Resistance
Drawing on historical precedents, Balazs suggested that the U.S. and its allies should consider the “OSS option”—a reference to World War II tactics where small groups were dropped into occupied territory to arm and train local resistance movements.
“You pass a gun to the guy down the road, and he can better defend his farm. I think that’s going to have to happen,” Balazs stated, suggesting that minimal training and support could empower the Persian people to overthrow what he described as a “small, brutal regime.”
Historical Lessons and Global Stability
Balazs warned against the dangers of appeasement, citing the Tanker Wars of the 1980s. He reminded listeners that the U.S. once had to sink nearly 90% of the Iranian navy to maintain maritime security, and that failure to deal with the regime properly led to four years of global recession.
He also addressed the hesitation of typical U.S. allies, attributing their reluctance to:
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Internal Security Fears: Concerns over domestic attacks due to high levels of immigration.
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Economic Pressure: The threat of “blackmail” through tolls and trade disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Perspective from a SERE Instructor
As a former SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) instructor, Balazs offered a unique perspective on the recent recovery of two downed pilots. He praised the aircrews and special operations teams for their intricate rescue mission, noting that his background in training pilots to survive in hostile environments made the success of the mission particularly meaningful.
Regarding the treatment of prisoners by the current Iranian regime, Balazs was somber. “It wouldn’t be a typical thing where they march him off to a POW camp,” he warned. “It would have been the most brutal torture and extortion of the United States you could have imagined.”
The Role of Diplomacy
Despite his hardline stance on the regime, Balazs maintained that a diplomatic “off-ramp” should always remain on the table to save lives and avoid unnecessary ground wars. However, he expressed skepticism regarding the regime’s willingness to negotiate in good faith, noting that they only “respond to strength.”
Balazs concluded by urging Americans to educate themselves on the complexities of the region, asserting that stability in Iran is the lynchpin for stability across the entire globe.