Iran’s barrage of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and suicide drones against the brave and courageous people of Israel last weekend failed miserably. The Israelis successfully defended their nation in the face of a barbaric assault on their sovereignty from an Iranian dictatorship that is increasingly isolated on the world stage. Iran has in effect declared war on Israel and poses a deadly threat to regional and international security.

Several Gulf States provided backing for Israel in their hour of need, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The navies of the United States and United Kingdom shot down multiple drones headed for Israel, with support from France as well. Aside from the usual suspects of Russia and China, and a few other enemies of freedom, Israel received support from much of the world in the face of Iranian aggression.

Iran is increasingly viewed as a pariah rogue regime that seeks to threaten the very existence of Israel itself. Yet there remains a dangerous appeasement mindset deeply embedded in some Western capitals, including shamefully in Washington and in London.

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The U.S. military provided vital assistance to Israel in defending itself, yet as soon as the Iranian attack was over, America’s political leadership in the White House was quick to start lecturing Israel once again, as though the Israelis were the ones escalating the conflict.

At times it is hard to see which side Joe Biden is on right now vis-a-vis Israel, with endless calls for a ceasefire in Gaza that would only benefit Hamas, and harsh and unfair condemnation of Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation there. At the same time, liberal lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, have been queuing up to condemn America’s closest friend in the Middle East, with calls for military aid to Israel to be made “conditional” upon demands set by Democrats in Congress.

In addition to its efforts to restrain Israel over Gaza, the clueless Biden administration remains wedded to reviving the disastrous Obama-era Iran nuclear deal. It has also seriously weakened sanctions against Iran and has allowed Tehran to enrich itself to the tune of tens of billions of dollars since Donald Trump left the Oval Office at the start of 2021. Disgracefully the Biden presidency has provided an economic lifeline to a genocidal regime that acts as a monstrous menace not only towards Israel, but the entire Middle East as well.

Inexplicably, like the Biden administration, Britain’s Conservative Government naively clings to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the hugely flawed idea of reviving diplomatic negotiations with Tehran. It is delusional to believe the JCPOA can be resurrected. In addition, Foreign Secretary David Cameron has lectured and warned Israel on the need for a Gaza ceasefire, and Downing Street stubbornly refuses to support the designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, despite growing calls to do so, including from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

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My former boss Margaret Thatcher would have been appalled by the weak-kneed approach towards Iran being taken right now, and she would have insisted that Great Britain stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel as it faces a growing and existential threat from the Iranian regime which seeks to become a nuclear weapons power within a couple of years and continues to back an array of terrorist movements including Hamas and Hezbollah. The Iron Lady would have sanctioned the IRGC and emphatically sunk the remnants of the weak-kneed Iran nuclear deal.

On both sides of the Atlantic it is time for our governments to wake up on Iran, impose the aggressive and forceful sanctions that are needed against Tehran, and drop the fiction that the West can negotiate an end to Iran’s nuclear program through the JCPOA. This is a moment to fully stand with Israel in its darkest hour. The United States and the United Kingdom must back Israel’s just response to Iranian aggression, instead of seeking to constrain the Benjamin Netanyahu government from taking necessary action in order to defend the people of Israel.