The Middle East war theater is increasingly escalating with greater heat and intensity, eroding hopes for stability. It appears that the disturbing facts emerging on the 14th day of the ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran have substantially dimmed—and almost extinguished—the faint ray of hope for any easing of tensions in the coming days. And if despair is akin to disbelief, then this disbelief has enveloped the entire region like thick, dark clouds that suddenly spread across the sky, blocking the sun’s rays from reaching the earth.
Israel once again launched a “massive wave” of airstrikes on Iran’s capital Tehran on Friday morning with full force, as a result of which dense clouds of smoke engulfed several parts of the city after explosions.
According to the Israeli military, these operations are being carried out with the aim of weakening Iran’s strategic and paramilitary capabilities. In this context, the Israeli Air Force also claimed to have targeted checkpoints established in Tehran by the Basij Force affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the purpose of which is said to be weakening state control.
At this critical stage and environment, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also issued his first official statement. Khamenei, who assumed office last week after the recent killing of his father, warned in unequivocal words that Iran will not refrain from taking revenge for its martyrs, particularly the martyrs of the Manab School, and that the enemy will have to account for the blood of Iranians. To increase pressure on the enemy, the Strait of Hormuz will be kept firmly closed, while contact between Iranian leaders and the public will always remain intact. He said that his position has put heavy responsibilities on his shoulders; the enemy is targeting the Iranian people, and with national unity the enemy will be defeated.
The Supreme Leader’s statement has further strengthened the view that this conflict is not limited to measured military operations but has taken the form of a prolonged and intricate regional war, and the world has also begun to feel the far-reaching impact of this war, which is increasingly becoming beyond the power of any single party to stop.
Meanwhile, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has created severe anxiety in global energy markets, because this waterway—connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and rest of the world—is considered the sole route through which Gulf countries that export oil and gas reach the open sea. Iran has announced that the passage is under its control and that ships associated with the United States or Israel and its allies are strictly banned from passing through it, while other vessels will also be required to obtain Iranian clearance. As a result of this situation, the price of Brent benchmark crude oil has exceeded 100 dollars per barrel, causing major turmoil in global markets.
Iranian officials suggest that civilian casualties have also increased to an alarming extent as a result of Israeli attacks. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, stated that at least 1,348 civilians have been killed in the attacks so far, including infants as young as eight months and elderly individuals up to 88 years of age.
On the other hand, Gulf countries also appear to be coming within the scope of this war. Iran sent multiple waves of drone and missile attacks toward those states where American military bases or personnel are present. Bahrain announced that since the start of the war on February 28 it has destroyed 114 missiles and 190 drones. Several drones were also shot down in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, while the kingdom claimed to have destroyed an additional 28 drones that entered its airspace.
The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned Iranian attacks across the region and stated that Dubai International Airport and several hotels were targeted in these strikes. In view of the uncertain situation, several countries have ordered their non-essential government staff to leave the United Arab Emirates and Israel and have also instructed their citizens to immediately depart from the Middle East.
Qatar has also announced the partial closure of its airspace; however, Qatar Airways has issued a schedule of more than 140 special flights to bring back stranded citizens and foreign residents. At the same time, Qatar strongly rejected Israeli media reports claiming that it had deliberately suspended LNG production to influence American energy prices. According to Qatari authorities, the suspension of production was in fact unavoidably forced due to an Iranian drone attack.
In the United States, political debate regarding this war is also intensifying. U.S. President Donald Trump, while speaking to journalists at the White House, claimed that the ongoing war against Iran is “rapidly advancing” and that American military capabilities are unparalleled. However, voices against the war are also rising domestically. More than 250 American organizations have signed a letter to Congress demanding that funding for the war be halted, stating that 11.3 billion dollars have already been spent in just the initial six days, diverting resources away from domestic welfare programs and spending them on war. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated in a remark opposing the deployment of American ground forces in Iran that although such a need does not appear at the present moment, the conflict does not seem likely to end soon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has said that Israel could create conditions for possible “regime change” in Iran, but the final decision will have to be made by the Iranian people by coming out onto the streets. He also said that Israel’s objective is to prevent Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs from being transferred underground.
In the Iranian capital Tehran, a powerful explosion occurred on Friday during a large rally of thousands of people on the occasion of Youm-e-Quds, which was an Israeli airstrike. Thousands of citizens were participating in the rally. After the explosion at the rally site near Ferdowsi Square, thick clouds of smoke began rising. During the incident one woman was killed and several people were injured, although complete details have not yet emerged. Despite this, the Iranian public left no effort in continuing the rally and also raised slogans of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” which reflects the resolute courage and fervent enthusiasm of the Iranian people. Public participation in large numbers in the rally despite fears of attacks indicates that the morale of the people in Iran remains remarkably high and that they are expressing anger against Israel and the United States, which is no less than a serious challenge for countries advocating the idea of regime change.
The situation in other parts of the region is also extremely alarming. In western Iraq, an American KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed. An Iraqi resistance group claimed that it shot down the aircraft using an air-defense system, however the U.S. Central Command stated that the aircraft crashed within friendly airspace and was not targeted by enemy action.
In Lebanon, Israeli bombardment continues, targeting southern towns and villages. In one attack on the village of Arki near Sidon, nine people were killed, including five children. According to Lebanese authorities, at least 687 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since last Monday, including 98 children, while intense bombardment has forced between 700,000 and 750,000 people to leave their homes.
The overall situation is so grave and deeply concerning that all leaders of the Middle East, engulfed in the flames of war, will have to collectively concentrate and formulate a strategy against it and resort to diplomacy in order to stop the principal parties to this conflict—the United States, Israel and Iran—from continuously fueling the flames of war, so that the duration of the conflict can be reduced and its severe effects on the region and beyond are minimized. Otherwise, these matters may slip out of the hands of the parties themselves, leaving a permanent scare on the humanity.
