The US-Iran War: Who Screams First?
The ongoing war between Iran, the United States, and Israel is not a classical conflict determined by who defeats the other and seizes control of the region. The Americans and Israelis aim to overthrow Iran’s hardline religious regime, while the Iranians seek to undermine American prestige (the “Great Satan”) and erase Israel (the “Lesser Satan”). However, the Iranians have another objective: a holy war based on martyrdom, where the martyrs attain paradise.
During the era of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his father Reza Shah, Iran did not engage in external wars; rather, it resisted certain nationalist movements. Its greatest and most powerful adversaries were the Bakhtiyaris, from whom the Shah’s second wife, Soraya, hailed. Eventually, the regime consolidated its rule there, achieving peace and stability. Notably, the Pahlavi system succeeded in accommodating various nationalities, religions, and sects by allowing all groups to practice their faith freely. For instance, Zoroastrian Magi and Baha’is were permitted to exercise their religious beliefs.
However, once the Islamists, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, seized power, they committed massacres, contradicting the tolerance of Islam and the Quran. Consequently, millions of Iranians, particularly Armenian Christians, Zoroastrians, and Baha’is, fled the country.
Former Prime Minister Amir-Abbas Hoveyda was accused of being a Baha’i and was forcibly executed on that charge. His brother, Farrokh Hoveyda, denied that Abbas was a Baha’i. Millions of opponents and adherents of non-Islamic faiths fled abroad as refugees to Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Asian countries.
Despite this, Iran has not remained purely and exclusively Shia Ja’fari Islamic. There remain communities of Jews, Zoroastrians (Zarathushtrians), and Mandaeans who practice their religions. Nevertheless, political leadership and dominance remain with Shia Islamists. However, the aforementioned ethnic groups have elected representatives in parliament and enjoy equal living standards.
Imam Khomeini undoubtedly failed to establish a pure Islamic dictatorship state according to his vision, as outlined in his book “Islamic Government.” There is no demand from Islamists of all stripes, sects, and schools of thought for a purely Islamic state.
The recent conflict is not about gaining territory here or there. Rather, it is based on the military doctrine of the Iranian Army, whereas the Americans seek global hegemony, as evidenced by President Donald Trump’s threat to the Iranians: “If you do not acknowledge your defeat, we will send you back to the Stone Age.” Therefore, in my view, the Iranians will not lay down their arms as long as they perceive themselves as victorious, having achieved a triumph or reached the goal of “eradicating Israel, the cancerous tumor,” from the region. Instead, they have launched their missiles and drones against Gulf countries, which declared neutrality from the first day, stating that the war is not theirs. However, the Iranians found no one else to vent their fury upon but the Gulf states. This is a tactic of the powerless. Their excuse was that the Americans have bases in Gulf countries. Yet, if the region enjoyed peace and stability, those bases would not have been permitted. Kuwait still suffers from the repercussions of the brutal Iraqi invasion in August 1990.
Currently, war drums have resumed beating after a brief lull. This time, it will not be a war to test the other side, but a fight to the death and surrender. Who will cry out first?
One Gulf political commentator, in commenting on the current war, noted that the United States has not won any of its wars since the 1950s, referring to the Vietnam War and subsequent conflicts. Perhaps this is superficially true. However, does this justify Americans or Iranians raining missiles, bombs, and drones upon a region that is not theirs, with which they have no stake? The Gulf is a sensitive region because it supplies the world with oil.
The war in the region will not end as we hope; Trump is entangled and will not announce a withdrawal, and the Iranians themselves are long-term players.
— Kuwaiti journalist
