US-Israeli adventure in Iran has backfired: It’s strengthened Iran’s hand

As the US-Israel war against Iran continues, the latter has demanded that all of its terms had to be met to see the war come to an end. The picture shows a protest in America where its citizens demand the war must end

While the US itself was not directly hit in Iran’s response, the state of Israel was hit and badly damaged by Iranian strikes

Israel’s Health Ministry has urged Israelis to rush to bomb shelters cautiously

Reacting to the Iranian response, two days ago the US Leader threatened he would obliterate Iran’s power plants

Thirty seven days ago the US together with its partner in crime –Israel- launched a sneak attack on Iran. The attack targeted several civilian as well as military sites. The initial attack as is well known, targeted the residence of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, killing him, members of his family, as well as a number of high-ranking military personnel who were meeting the Iranian leader.  

Over a thousand Iranian civilians have been killed, including women and children, in US strikes which also targeted a girls’ elementary school. Fifty-five healthcare workers were also wounded, 11 were killed, including four physicians, two nurses and three emergency workers.

In retaliation, Iran attacked Israel and US military bases in the Middle East. So far, Iran has launched strikes across seven countries in the region -Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. An Iranian drone also struck a runway at a United Kingdom military base in Cyprus.

While the US itself was not directly hit in Iran’s response, the state of Israel was hit and badly damaged by Iranian strikes. This has been the first time Israel has been seriously damaged since it was illegally created in what was originally undivided Palestine. 

Al Jazeera reported 4,829 Israelis injured and 18 persons killed. Israel’s Health Ministry has urged Israelis to rush to bomb shelters cautiously, noting that people had been injured while running to shelters. At least 180 people were wounded in Iranian missile attacks on the southern city of Dimona –home to the country’s main nuclear facility. One of the most dramatic escalations since the US-Israel war on Iran began. 

By Sunday Israel’s Ben Gurion airport was shut down. While the full extent of the damage caused by Iranian strikes on US assets in the region is not clear, it is estimated damage to US military infrastructure is over US $ 800 million-much higher than previously estimated.

Last week US media reported a US F-35 stealth fighter aircraft had been struck by Iran as it returned from a combat mission –a claim Iranian state media also reported. The F-35, is the cornerstone of Washington’s aerial firepower and is the first time one had been brought down in combat.

According to a report -on Sunday 22 March- in ‘Air & Space Forces Magazine’, a publication that covers news on US air defence and national security issues, the pilot suffered shrapnel wounds. The report, which quoted unnamed sources with knowledge of the incident, said the aircraft was hit by ground fire.

Reacting to the Iranian response, two days ago the US Leader threatened he would obliterate Iran’s power plants, infrastructure and plunge the whole country into darkness unless Iran unconditionally complied with US demands.

Taking the battle to the enemy

Iran rejected the American threats and called the US bluff. Suddenly, out of nowhere, on Sunday US threats to obliterate Iranian power structures etc. were withdrawn. Iran did not back down. Instead it took the battle to the enemy and escalated the conflict by expanding the battle to the entire region in addition to forcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz through which over 20% of petroleum resources passed to enter world markets. 

Faced with the reality of price rises in of oil, declining popularity among US citizens and their growing opposition to the war in Iran and rising costs of living in the US itself, the US President was forced to back down. He initially declared a unilateral five-day ceasefire. He also announced Iran had agreed not to acquire nuclear weapons. 

The claim was immediately denied by Iran which announced all of its terms had to be met, if the war the US had started was to be brought to an end.

The conflicting stances of the beligernants to the conflict makes it hard to believe the conflict is any nearer to being brought to a closure. The initial US five-day ceasefire (now extended) appears to be more of a manoeuvre to buy time for a further US-Israeli military build-up. It is also clear Iran has recognised the move as such. 

Even as this article is being written, news agencies are reporting a build-up of US naval, aerial and ground forces in the region.  The move is being described as another deception on the part of the US-Israeli combine –a constant factor in the ongoing war. Iranian media point out that they observed similar deceptions during the war in June last year and again while negotiations were taking place before the latest round of conflict. 

The US five-day ceasefire is viewed as a similar tactic –another deception packaged as diplomacy amid a build-up of military, naval and aerial forces -contrary to the very notion of a serious ceasefire.  The US move is seen as mentioned earlier, as an attempt to gain time to escalate the conflict. 

In an interview with India Today, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said “No one can trust US diplomacy”. Again an another Iranian support group –Houthis- have opened up a new front threatening to block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea further strangling Iran’s control over strategic sea lanes of transportation.

For peace to have a chance, all parties need to show an interest in bringing the conflict to an end. However, there is no agreement. The claims by the US President that ‘a deal’ is imminent are not diplomatic moves to end the conflict. It is simply a way to hide a US retreat. What we are seeing, is merely a pause. A pause not to end the conflict, but to finalise a military build-up and deceive the adversary.

The ceasefire is merely a rehash of the same trick or deception given an appearance of diplomacy. Only this time around Iran has not been deceived as is clear from its Iranian Foreign Ministry statement and threat to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

What the US has not realised is that the same old lie retold is no longer believable. As the proverb says, ‘once bitten twice shy’. The troop, naval and aerial build-up show the US is expanding its war machine. Trump’s call to other nations to enter the war, on its behalf is a clear indication of an attempt to further escalate the war. It is NOT an initiative to bring peace to the region. It is also an admission of the failure to achieve its stated military goals and claims of de-escalation of the conflict.

Iran for its part has remained unwavering. It has not given any indication of having accepted any agreement.  It has understood the importance of the Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth or more of the world’s oil requirements are transported, as well and its importance to either stabilise or disrupt the world’s economy.

The Strait of Hormuz is a trump card in Iranian hands. It is now insisting that the war will continue until its (Iran’s) demands are met; all sanctions are lifted; war damages it has suffered are fully compensated; international guarantees are put in place; the US will not interfere in Iranian sovereignty and Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is internationally recognised.

In the end, the US-Israeli war on Iran has strengthened the latter. Iran’s oil production has increased as have prices for its oil. New currencies for payment of Iranian oil have emerged by-passing the traditional US petro-dollar. 

The present pause in US attacks must be seen in this light.

The ceasefire is not a peace treaty and could turn out to be another deception prior to a further round of offensive action.