U.S. Representative Randy Fine, a Florida Republican and outspoken supporter of aggressive American action against Iran, declared on Saturday that Tehran’s ruling government cannot be reasoned with and must instead be defeated outright, arguing that years of diplomacy have failed to change the regime’s behavior. The statement, posted to X on July 11, 2026, arrives as the ceasefire between the United States and Iran has effectively collapsed, with President Donald Trump declaring the truce “over” following a fresh wave of strikes and Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Full Post
Fine’s message, posted at 2:09 p.m. on July 11, read in full: “The Iranian regime is run by evil people who don’t share our values. They’ve proven that negotiating with them won’t work. They’re evil, and the only way to deal with evil is to defeat it.”
The statement makes no direct mention of ongoing negotiations or the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran last month, but it lands squarely amid a week in which that agreement has appeared to unravel. Fine’s framing — that the Iranian government is fundamentally incompatible with American values and that talks are a dead end — mirrors language he has used consistently since the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began in late February.
A Pattern of Hardline Rhetoric
Fine has been among the most vocal members of Congress in calling for the complete dismantling of Iran’s government rather than a negotiated settlement. In an earlier post on X, he argued that when Iranian officials chant “Death to America,” the United States should take them “at their word,” adding that Iran is “building weapons as we speak to destroy the WEST” and that “it’s time for President Trump to END this terrorist regime for good.” That post, like Saturday’s, framed regime change — not diplomacy — as the only lasting solution.
His position has remained largely unchanged even as the conflict has moved through several distinct phases. When U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials on February 28, triggering the war now referred to as the 2026 Iran war, Fine issued a statement declaring, “We are with you, Mr. President. We will cut off the head of the snake of Muslim terror, Bring lasting peace to the Middle East, And save the Iranian People. Bombs away.” He went on to say that Iranian forces had “indiscriminately fired rockets not just at the Jews of Israel, but 700,000 Americans who live there, 180,000 Christians who live there,” as well as at religious sites including the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, concluding, “We are fighting back against this evil. To save Western Civilization. We will win.”
Consistent Opposition to Negotiating With Tehran
Fine’s skepticism toward diplomacy with Iran predates Saturday’s post by more than a year. In a June 2025 interview with the Washington Reporter, conducted during an earlier round of fighting between Israel and Iran, Fine described the Iranian government as run by “Muslim lunatics” whose values do not align with the West, and called for Israel to “unleash Hell on Iran.” Asked what he hoped to see from the U.S. government at the time, he said he wanted to see America supplying Israel with weapons and helping shoot down incoming missiles, while stating that he did not believe American forces needed to serve as “the offensive force.” That position shifted after the February strikes, when Fine became a full-throated supporter of direct U.S. military action against Iran.
Even as President Trump pursued a negotiated track alongside military pressure, Fine has continued to frame the Iranian government as an entity that must be defeated rather than bargained with. He has repeatedly used the word “evil” to describe the regime, a term that appears again in Saturday’s post, describing Iran’s leadership as people who “don’t share our values.”
Targeted by an Alleged Iranian Cyberattack
Fine’s rhetoric has coincided with what he says has been a direct effort by Iranian operatives to target him personally. In April, Fine told Fox News Digital that his congressional office was targeted by a phishing scheme disguised as a television interview request from Newsmax, which he said was designed to gain access to his personal Google account. “A skilled impersonator created something appearing just like Newsmax to attempt to do an interview with me,” Fine said, adding that a staffer began engaging with the message before noticing that embedded links did not function properly. U.S. Capitol Police later informed his office that the outreach likely originated from an Iranian state actor.
Fine, who has described himself as “the most visible Jewish Republican politician in America,” said he did not believe the timing of the attempt was coincidental, noting it occurred close to the start of U.S. combat operations against Iran. In a statement issued through his office, Fine said, “I was clearly targeted. It wasn’t random,” and added, “Iran and its terror proxies continue to threaten Americans and those who serve this country. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.” He connected the incident to a separate hack of a personal email account belonging to FBI Director Kash Patel, which was claimed by an Iran-linked hacking group.
The Collapse of the Ceasefire
Saturday’s post comes at a volatile moment in the broader conflict. A memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, signed on June 17 by President Trump and Iranian officials, had opened a 60-day window intended to produce a lasting peace agreement and had paused major hostilities. That arrangement began breaking down in early July after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz for allegedly failing to follow shipping routes set by Tehran. The United States responded with strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets on July 7 and additional strikes on roughly 90 targets the following day, prompting Trump to declare on Truth Social that “the Cease Fire is OVER!”
Iranian officials have pushed back sharply. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran has “absolutely no trust” in the United States following the renewed strikes and warned that Iran is prepared for “all-out defense,” adding that any conflict “will never end with Iran’s surrender.” Despite the breakdown, U.S. officials have said Washington remains open to continuing technical talks, and Trump has indicated the two sides have agreed to keep negotiating even as he maintains the ceasefire itself is no longer in effect.
Broader Context of the War
The current fighting is part of a conflict that began February 28, when U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Khamenei and several other senior Iranian officials, an operation the U.S. military has referred to internally as Operation Epic Fury. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel, Gulf Arab states and U.S. military installations across the region, while also restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil chokepoint. The war has since drawn in Hezbollah in Lebanon, prompted strikes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait against Iranian-aligned forces, and caused significant disruption to global oil and shipping markets.
Khamenei’s successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named Iran’s new Supreme Leader, and Khamenei’s funeral proceedings concluded early Friday with his burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad — just one day before Fine’s post calling for the regime’s defeat. Satellite imagery reviewed by CNN has shown signs that Iran may be attempting to rebuild damaged nuclear facilities, even as Russia has resumed staffing at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, developments that are likely to further complicate any renewed diplomatic track.
Fine’s Broader Foreign Policy Profile
Fine, who represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District covering the Daytona Beach area, has built a reputation in Congress as one of its most outspoken pro-Israel voices and a sharp critic of the Iranian government. He has previously criticized fellow Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, for what he characterized as insufficiently supportive comments toward Israel during the conflict, calling Vance’s remarks “absolutely inappropriate and frankly disgusting.” Fine has also pressed for stronger U.S. military backing of Israel throughout the war, arguing in earlier interviews that America should “hunt” rather than “be hunted” when it comes to threats from Iran.
As of Saturday, neither the White House nor the State Department had issued a formal response to Fine’s post. With technical negotiations between Washington and Tehran continuing in parallel with military strikes, Fine’s message adds to a chorus of Republican lawmakers publicly urging the Trump administration to abandon diplomacy in favor of a decisive military resolution to the conflict.