Israel, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to violate international law. From Gaza to Lebanon and Iran, the story is the same: it has brazenly breached international law with the Gaza genocide, flattening Lebanon, and aggression against Iran with impunity. Historically, the USA has put its veto weight behind the genocidal state called Israel. As if this weren't enough, this time around, the Trump White House jointly launched war on Iran, triggering global outrage not only from allies and independent states but also from within American civil society. Despite this, war crimes and crimes committed against humanity in the Middle East continue to be the cornerstone of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance, and they act with immunity from accountability, ultimately plunging the region into darkness, and the world into economic dehydration.
While addressing his country's congress, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is quoted to have said that the US and Israel have “undermined international law" and "destabilised the Middle East." America's "Operation Epic Fury" in Iran was a two-pronged agenda: one was the capitulation of the Iranian regime and subsequent regime change and consequent energy capture; the second was insulating Israel while undermining the Middle East. History is a witness that whenever and wherever the superpower called the United States of America had placed its long boots on the ground or installed puppets, it made sure its companies got contracts in order to ensure the capture of energy and minerals, etc.
Iran's robust retaliation and the conflagration of the conflict to the Gulf states by hitting barrages of missiles have not only left the states vulnerable economically but also fragile in terms of their security. While the cost of retaliatory attacks on the Gulf countries is yet to be summarised, the future of the Gulf states is uncertain due to the consequences of war. The certain thing is that the war will leave the Middle East in catastrophic conditions in terms of infrastructural destruction and human casualties in Iran and elsewhere. The region will take years to heal the wounds of war, and, given regional mistrust and rivalry, the damage will indirectly serve the purpose of Imperialist America. The wounded Middle East is what the USA and Israel have sought to see since the birth of the project called Israel was put in place by British Imperialism. Iran continues to hit American bases and civilian infrastructure in the Gulf countries. Tehran cannot and should not choose this course of action until and unless the lands of brotherly countries are used to target Iranian territories. So far, the Gulf states have shown strategic restraint. Iranian authorities must be waking up to the fact that, despite differences, a politically stable and economically sustainable Middle East is in the interest of Iran in every imaginable way. Dragging the Gulf countries into the conflict is the agenda of Israel, which yearns to see the Middle East in flames and subsequently reduced to ashes.
Pakistani economic expert and political commentator Najam Ali wrote in a post on X that " Destroying each other's infrastructure is self-deafting.The United States will barely feel it.It has its own oil.Israel is not dependent on Gulf energy either.But the countries of the Middle East will live with the consequences long after war ends.If there was ever a time to set aside divisions, it is now .Fragmentation weakens the region.Unity and restraint protect its future".
It is very difficult to disagree with Najam's nutshell narration of the looming long-term cost of conflict to be borne out by the countries of the Middle East.
The Regional Toll and Shifting Alliances
Aviation, the tourism industry, and commercial hubs across the region are feeling the heat of the war. Regional rivalry and mutual mistrust between Iran and the Arab kingdoms is a political reality. Nevertheless, a stable Iran is in the interest of the region; otherwise, Israel will be the sole hegemon in the area. This lurking danger may have dissuaded the oil-rich countries from striking back at Iran after the latter took the war to their doorsteps.
Unfortunately, the region is being gradually drawn into a game scripted step by step by Israel, attempting to sow a seed of discord that will make it nearly impossible for Muslims to come together
Those at the helm of the Middle East should put their heads together to carve out a common strategy to block the project called "Greater Israel"; failing to do so is akin to waiting for their turn one by one. Israel's expansionist agenda and the imperialist weight behind it are an open secret. Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that “Turkiye rejects any action that would fuel hostility among brotherly peoples or, support the divide-and - rule plans of Zionism targeting the region. For 27 days, the (Israeli) aggressors who disregard every principle, value, and norm have shown us that in their eyes, it doesn't matter whether we are shia or sunni, Turkish, Kurdish, Arabs or Persian." Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan minced no words and said, ”Unfortunately, the region is being gradually drawn into a game scripted step by step by Israel.Israel is attempting to sow a seed of discord,one that will make it nearly impossible for Muslims to come together again,and Turkiye's number one goal is to prevent this discord from emerging."
We see the writing on the horizon that the West, especially countries with a war economy i.e. selling arms and ammunition, will goad the Arab countries facing backlash from Iran into believing that their long-held belief of a security threat from Israel only is self-defeating given the recent attack from the Iranian regime. By infusing insecurity, the Arab countries will be persuaded to buy more weapons. In doing so, GCC economies oiled by oil will be drained by an arms race and subsequent paranoia. To put it bluntly, the Middle East’s salvation lies in the formation of a NATO-like force, prompting united action against the aggressors.
To achieve this end, Riyadh and Tehran will have to drop their desire for regional dominance.
Earlier, my piece of writing titled “UN Failure and Western Hypocrisy in the Iran-Israel Conflict” appeared in The Friday Times (TFT), in which I wrote: “It is no exaggeration that Iran has used Shia Islam as a political tool to gsin regional influence.After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the pioneers of the revolution and their successors vied for broader regional influence, resulting in hostilities arising from this desire for dominance –especially from Sunni-dominated states like Saudi Arabia, which harboured similar ambitions for a dominating role”.
More importantly, the Gulf states have to be freed from America’s shadow; this should be the beginning of the end.
The Global Economic Fallout
Given European countries and NATO allies refusing to join the Trump-Netanyahu war, many political commentators are convinced that dollar dominance is declining, and they see China's yuan dominance emerging from the ashes of the war in question, given Iranian authorities demanding yuan-based payment for the safe passage of vessels of friendly countries. However, it is premature to make such a conclusion at this stage. Things will be clear once the dust of war settles down. Such a transition in global trade is geopolitically difficult in every imaginable way. This depends on the Strait of Hormuz that has choked the global oil supply and subsequent economic shocks. However, European states and Israica (Israel-America) are on the same page when it comes to undermining the Global South and especially the Middle East. They have historically sought to weaken the two through capitalism, global financial governance, and strategic hegemony gained by modern warfare. The Gaza genocide by Israel and its complicity by European countries is a stark reminder of this geopolitical engagement.
The recent news of Israel’s use of a nail and cigarette burns to torture a one-year-old child and force a confession from his father sent chills down the spine of individuals and institutions all over the globe. It tells a tale of tyranny being inflicted upon innocent Palestinians. While presenting her latest report to the UN Human Rights Council, Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, dropped a bombshell on those in attendance having said, " The world has given Israel “a licence to torture Palestinians”, with life in the occupied territories “a continuum of physical and mental suffering”.“Torture has effectively become state policy” in Israel, adding further she said this situation came about “because most of your governments, your ministers, have allowed it”.
Global politics is not based on principles and justice; vested interests outweigh democratic norms. Russia has become the biggest beneficiary of the war so far, given its oil sanctions waiver necessitated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. China, the largest oil importer from Iran, is said to have stocked enough oil reserves to sustain a prolonged war and subsequent supply chain disruption. Russia silently wants a war of attrition on Iran's part so that, on one hand, its adversary, America, remains entangled, bearing the war's financial burden, and on the other hand, the demand for the waivered oil supply keeps filling Russia's war-torn national coffers.
The Divide Between Allies
European countries not joining Trump's war on Iran does not suggest that those states have shed their colonial thinking and are unwilling to be partners in war crimes. There are various reasons behind the European Union and countries shying away, which include trade tariffs and a lack of consultation before military action—not to mention making a mockery of various ruling elites. After his ascendency to the presidency, Donald Trump imposed trade tariffs on various European countries, which soured bilateral and trilateral ties. The White House, accompanied by Tel Aviv, battered Iran with bombs and missiles without bothering to take European countries into confidence for a military expedition.
It would not be an exaggeration to conclude that European countries not joining the joint Israel-USA expedition is based on personal grudges rather than justice and political principles. It is evident from: "a top EU leader has openly rebuked the United States for launching military action against Iran without consulting European allies, calling Washington an “unpredictable ally” and expressing deep frustration over the consequences for Europe’s economy, security, and potential migration flows, Anadolu reports.Speaking at Sciences Po in Paris, European Council President Antonio Costa has delivered what many diplomats see as the sharpest public rebuke yet from Brussels.“For the very first time, the United States launched a war in the Middle East, in our neighbourhood, without any prior information to European allies or Nato,” he has said, openly airing mounting transatlantic tensions over the Iran conflict.Costa has warned that the conflict is already hitting Europe’s economy hard. “We are paying, we are suffering,” he said, citing energy price spikes, trade disruptions, and the broader financial impact on European households and governments."
Besides, the public across western countries poured vials of wrath on ruling elites over their complicity in the Gaza genocide. They are still recovering from internal public derision and international anger. Besides, the Ukraine war has drained their national exchequers. The rising cost of living caused by the cost of conflict is not only an economic challenge but also poses a threat to countless ruling cliques in terms of political survival and relevance. Politicians with protectionist ideals and right-wingers are making electoral inroads in constituencies which were historically hubs of the old political order.
Under such circumstances and considerations, the superpower is trapped in the Strait of Hormuz as the calls for reopening the stretch in question with military might have fallen on the deaf ears of old allies.
Faced with robust retaliation by Iran and the cold-shouldered treatment by European countries and NATO allies, the American international order is seen crumbling. However, neither America's downfall will benefit weaker nations, nor will the rise of China benefit under-developed economies. This is a game played by international players, where geopolitical interests are the sole yardstick for supporting or refusing actions in the international arena. In addition, there is little difference between imperialism and neoliberalism pursued by various global elites. The former drains national resources through puppets, regime change, and death and destruction by boots on the ground; whereas the latter bleeds weaker nations dry through schemes of economic entrenchment. And there is no difference indeed between killing people with bombs and those crushed by long boots on the ground and subsequent political instability and starving people to death by creating conditions of hunger and homelessness through debt traps and consequent financial famines. Many political commentators foresee the emergence of regional alliances and a new world order on the political horizon. First and foremost, such a political arrangement is a geopolitical game rather than a fair world order aimed at ensuring regional political stability and financial sustainability.
Even if America's international order fades, it won't help the Third World. Various countries will have to drop their begging bowl; they will have to achieve political and economic independence through national unity and a prudent economic model, scientific advancement, and self-reliance. Otherwise, today these countries are being policed by the USA. Tomorrow, in place of America, another international actor will be pulling the strings with greater political depravity and financial ferocity.
Resistance and The Cost of War
Never has America seen public opinion dip against any war imposed on a sovereign country in its first days like that of the war on Iran. Besides, various polls do suggest a historical dip in opinion for Israel in the USA. This is an unprecedented phenomenon in recent years. A news item published in TRT World reads, " Six in ten Americans believe the US war with Iran has " gone too far" , according to a new AP- NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research poll." The following figures speak:
- 59 percent say attacks on Iran have gone too far
- 62 percent oppose US ground troops deployment
- 48 percent oppose funding Israel's army
Despite the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other military commanders and political figures, Iran has not only stood its ground but has also been blazing a trail in terms of holding a torch for other nations when it comes to facing war criminals with clarity.
"Never invade a revolution" is apt to Iran's resistance and resilience. Analysts have expressed that Iran's decision to decentralise its military command, even during an ongoing war with a power hundreds of times mightier in terms of logistics and weapon superiority, is a classic example of war resilience, preparedness, and defence of its dear homeland. Some suggest its Iran's preparedness in terms of guerrilla war, like that of the Vietnamese. They see Iran becoming Vietnam for America if it ever makes the mistake of placing long boots on the soil of the Iranian people. Iran's geography, with its rugged mountains, could pose significant dangers for any invading force.
With the advancement of technology, war has ceased to be conventional: the conflict between Iran, the USA, and Israel is not limited to the three in question. Now, war machines, propaganda, fake news, deepfakes, and AI-generated videos have changed the facade of fighting. The war has pervaded across countries and continents, given economic shocks, geopolitical interests, regional likes and dislikes, not to mention vested interests.
Fuelflation emanating from the war is straining individual and national economies across countries and continents.
According to the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, the Iran war has caused the gravest energy shock of all time, adding further he said, it could take six months or longer to fully restore oil and gas flows from the Gulf.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said that the prolonged disruption to trade through the Strait of Hormuz triggered by the US/Israeli attack on Iran could create cascading impacts across energy markets, fertiliser supply chains, and global agrifood systems, raising production costs, tightening agricultural supply, and increasing food prices worldwide. The President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, is of the opinion that markets may be 'overly optimistic'. A return to normality could take years.
Americans will have to pay a heavy price thanks to an illegal war declared by its political leadership aligned with Israeli hawks that are hellbent upon razing the civilisation of Iran to the ground through obliterating the human population by modern warfare whose only political crime is that they are unwilling to bend to the Israel-USA will. Imagine the magnitude of cruelty imposed on recalcitrant Iranians and the consequent cost of the conflict that will be paid by ordinary Americans. "The US Defence Department is pushing for more $200 billion to fund the war in Iran , a request that would spark a major battle in congress. Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys... We are going back to congress and folks there to ensure that we are properly funded, reportedly said Pete Hegseth."
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that the US and Israel's war cost $16.5 billion in its first 12 days—and continues to rise. The conflict is now reportedly costing between $300 and $900 million per day.
There are around 3.2 million Iranians who are internally displaced—not to mention around 2,000 bombed to death, and the injured. Imagine the traumatic experiences to be shouldered by the internal exodus.
Aggression against Iran has united the public. They have forgotten their internal divide. After all, they have faced together decades-long economic aggression against their country in terms of economic sanctions. They are ready to lose their limbs and lives for their ancestral land and civilisation. The public, like the mountains of Iran, are standing strong to sacrifice and subsequently shield their motherland till the last drop of their blood. Various Iranian people interviewed clearly conveyed, "We want change, but not like this."
One may have many reasons to disagree with the Iranian political leadership and their governance style; however, that does not license others to attack an independent country. Let Iranians decide their political fate. It is solely their political privilege and constitutional duty.
The Destruction of Heritage and the UN's Failure
War wipes out civilisation—cultural and historic heritage, natural heritage, livelihoods including psychological baggage, and environmental costs to be shouldered and paid respectively by those left behind. Reportedly, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has accused the US and Israel of “deliberately” attacking “many universities and research centres” during the war, including the Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran. “The American-Israeli aggression against Iran continues to reveal its true objective: to cripple our country’s scientific foundation and cultural heritage by systematically targeting universities, research centres, historical monuments, and prominent scientists,” Baghaei has said in a post on X.
According to Iran’s Red Crescent Society, at least 600 educational facilities in Iran have been damaged or destroyed by the war.
Euronews English quoted experts to have highlighted the looming environmental toll, saying, " Attacks on gas fields, nuclear sites and desalination plants are leading toxic pollutants into air, soil and water could impact health for decades". Those denigrating Iranian authorities for weaponising the stretch, as humanitarian goods and energy pass through, must not forget the Gaza genocide through bombing and starvation as a weapon of war and collective punishment, and Lebanon being flattened by the 21st-century Adolf Hitler—Benjamin Netanyahu.
“End the war — immediately.” Addressing the United States, Israel, and Iran, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the conflict in the Middle East must stop to avoid further loss of life, suffering, and devastation. “This has gone too far,” said the Secretary-General, calling for a return to diplomacy and full respect of international law. “War is not the answer. We need a way out of this disaster.” The Secretary-General, António Guterres, instead of addressing the three (the USA, Israel, and Iran), should have called out the USA and Israel, who ganged up and imposed an unprovoked war on the sovereign land of Iran.
The UN's failure to ward off hegemony and hold aggressors accountable for their war crimes and crimes committed against weaker nations is the root cause of prevailing global conflicts. The founding principles of the UN Charter, like the sovereign equality of states, non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes, promotion of human rights, and collective security against aggression, are being shredded bit by bit by powerful global players. The carnage in Kabul, barbarism in Baghdad, savagery in Syria, death, destruction, and displacement in Libya, the ongoing illegal war on Iran, and the Gaza genocide tell a tale of tyranny at the hands of America and Israel. Were the war criminals in the dock, Tehran would not be bleeding. From WMDs in Iraq to Iranian nuclear power transpired how threat narratives, dangled by global movers and shakers, shaped illegal wars.
Israel has crossed all red lines. In a blatant show of hypocrisy, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, justified Israel’s stance on nuclear capability while sharply criticising Iran, framing Israel as a "force for stability in the Middle East", as per Reuters. Responding to a question on why Israel should have the right to acquire nuclear weapons while other regional countries should not, Danon said the issue should be viewed through the lens of stability versus chaos. “One should ask… who is bringing stabilisation to the area and who is bringing chaos?” he claimed. “Israel is a stabilising force in the region. We want peace.”
On the contrary, the Middle East is burning because of the rascality of the USA and Israel. There is a nexus between Zionism and imperialism. Tel Aviv has crossed all red lines. Pakistan’s military and political leadership’s emergence on the global stage, playing the diplomatic role of an interlocutor, is a monumental achievement, making citizens proud.
Worryingly, on the one hand, efforts are under way to defuse the expanding war; on the other hand, the USA is reportedly increasing its military presence in the Middle East—not to mention the missile strike by Israel on Qatar. The interlocutors should have eagle eyes; otherwise, the aggressors might use the diplomatic table just to dodge the world and gain time, and subsequently redesign their strategy of tearing the Middle East apart. Donald Trump has warned of dire consequences in terms of destroying Kharg Island—an economic lifeline of Iran—and water plants if a deal is not clinched shortly. Kharg Island is a critical oil export hub for Iran, handling around 90 percent of its crude exports. Opinion makers argue that the cramps in the abdomen of the White House over Kharg Island are a decades-long American desire, as it has economically sustained disobedient Iran. The word ‘deal’ used by Trump is self-explanatory, suggesting a “do more mantra.” As per media reports, Iran has rejected a 15-point deal, citing sovereignty, legal, and security implications. American arrogance is mired in dust roused by Iranian drones. Faced with asymmetrical power, Iran bounced back and hit where it hurts. The war taught the Iranian leadership that the country can quickly inflict economic pain on the West. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has said that “Now the United States of Ameica is commited to finishing the job”. A minority of political thinkers see Iran becoming like Hiroshima and Nagasaki—a veiled reference to a nuclear strike—given the frustration of the superpower. The argument offered seems plausible as both American dominance and military might are being challenged. Will the cornered USA succumb to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, or will it do the unthinkable? We leave it for the readers to contemplate.
Public Outrage and the Path Forward
To see the unprecedented anger against the Iran war among American citizens and global outrage is encouraging. The American people giving a referendum against the Trump administration is evident from recent public demonstrations. According to the BBC, No Kings rallies event organisers for Sunday’s protests estimate more than 8 million people attended to protest policies imposed by Donald Trump, and things like the Iran war, immigration enforcement, and the rising cost of living. “Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant. But this is America, and power belongs to the people –not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies,” organisers said. One protester had a placard that reads, ” REGIME CHANGE BEGINS HOME." The American people have spoken and they have spoken loudly that it is the White House that needs a change of guard rather than Tehran.
If the war drags on, the conflict will widen to countries sitting on the fence, ultimately plunging the region into an unthinkable prospect and global economic anarchy. A greater responsibility is placed on the shoulders of the global community to rein in rogue states and enemies of humanity.
The time has come to rein in Israel's recklessness in the larger interest of humanity. Israel is a threat to regional security, planetary health, and global prosperity.
The war might end sooner than expected since Donald Trump is trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, and the lungs of European economies are congested due to the cost of conflict in terms of rising energy prices and the subsequent rising cost of living. But regional stability and global peace will remain elusive until and unless "might is right" is replaced with the democratic principle—"right is might"—and rules in international affairs.
American arrogance is mired in the dust roused by Iranian drones. Faced with asymmetrical power, Iran bounced back and hit where it hurts. Iranian leadership learnt that the country can quickly inflict economic pain on the West.
The notion that the Trump administration expected an Iranian revolt and subsequent regime change following Operation Epic Fury is misconstrued. The American establishment isn't that naive; it knew the Iranian people wouldn't welcome imported change. Historically, Iranians have despised American interference in their internal affairs, let alone imported liberation. Earlier, Tehran successfully quelled the uprising, establishing government control. The US military action aimed to inflict significant damage, potentially taking years for Iran to recover.