The containment wasn't completely effective; the conflict clearly demonstrates they built a sizeable military capability and planned to continue to expand it into nuclear weapons...combined with their hatred toward the US (initially because of the 1953 coup and shah), why would we allow an Iranian regime that hates us and wants to destroy us continue to grow their military strength and nuclear aspirations?
If someone tells you they want to kill you, and their actions continue to demonstrate they are working toward obtaining the ability to kill you, do you wait until they try to kill you, or take them out first?
The US and UK created this mess in Iran; now they're finally cleaning up this mess. The current Iraq and Libya are messes we created too, and failed to deal with, that we'll have to deal with in the future. For now, I'd like to see the IRG ended, and let the Iranians sort it out for themselves with limits on their military aspirations...which we should have done in Ukraine as well (another mess the US created with the Maidan coup, and Minsk accords).
so to be clear: I support the US cleaning up the mess we created in Iran in 1953 with regime change and complete elimination of the IRG.
