The United States continued airstrikes on Iran for the tenth consecutive night. In response, Iran once again carried out a formidable retaliatory operation, attempting not only to target U.S. interests across the region but also launching attacks on areas in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan where American military installations are alleged to be located.
During these attacks, fires erupted at power facilities and key seawater desalination plants in Kuwait, causing extensive damage to the installations. At the same time, reports emerged of massive fires aboard two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that the vessels became embroiled in the situation because they had taken hazardous routes. Meanwhile, amid these extremely sensitive circumstances, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Pakistan with a high-level delegation, bolstering the impression that Tehran also seeks to halt this bloody confrontation through some form of diplomatic channel, although its strategy on the battlefield continues to harden in a calculated manner.
The visit of Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to Pakistan cannot be regarded as a mere routine diplomatic engagement. He has had a longstanding association with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his position within Iran’s security structure is not merely that of a political officeholder but of someone who also commands the confidence of the military leadership. This is why the presence of senior military officials in the accompanying delegation reinforces the possibility that he has arrived in Islamabad with an important mandate. His meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi are taking place at a time when Pakistan has recently appeared proactive in diplomatic efforts to reactivate the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran and pave the way for a ceasefire.
It has now assumed extraordinary importance that despite the intensifying exchange of fire on the battlefield, diplomatic contacts have not been entirely severed. This remains the only aspect that still offers a flickering and dwindling ray of hope. Although the fundamental contours of the war have not changed despite ten days of attacks, both countries know full well that if the conflict persists at this pace, its consequences will not remain confined to Iran and the United States but could plunge the entire Middle East into such instability that it may take years, or perhaps even centuries, to emerge from it.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also asserted in recent statements that the United States violated its commitments under the memorandum of understanding. According to him, Iran made phased progress during the negotiations, and tangible developments had been achieved, particularly regarding keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for oil exports and other important matters, but the agreement was not honored by the other side.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates vehemently condemned Iran’s attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, describing them as a flagrant assault on the sovereignty of brotherly countries and expressing complete solidarity with the affected states. This reaction indicates that Iran’s recent military strategy could severely jeopardize not only its relations with the United States but also with regional countries with which it has maintained political, economic, and diplomatic ties for decades.
In fact, this is precisely the aspect that has rendered the current crisis more complex than ever before. Iran is no longer merely responding to American pressure; rather, it appears poised to cross its traditional diplomatic boundaries as well. The Gulf states, which have on many occasions sought to maintain balanced relations with Tehran, now find themselves directly exposed to threats. As a result of this situation, even after the war ends, the nature of Iran’s regional relationships is unlikely to remain unchanged from the past.
Not only that, but questions are now also being raised within American political circles regarding the war. Several members of Congress are trying to ascertain whether President Donald Trump is being provided with accurate intelligence by the Pentagon, because while it has consistently been claimed that Iran no longer poses a major military threat, the ten-day-long war appears to contradict that assertion. This is why critics argue that President Trump is becoming ensnared in a prolonged conflict against which he repeatedly spoke during his election campaign and which he described as the “endless wars” of the Middle East.
Although American military planners are deliberating various aspects of possible future actions, increased attacks, and their military presence in the region, the possibility of deploying ground forces has apparently been ruled out. Nevertheless, no clear indication has yet emerged from Washington that would justify confidence that there will be no new attacks on the eleventh night or that a ceasefire is imminent.
In the current war, the Strait of Hormuz is becoming increasingly pivotal. According to several international analysts, the central issue at the beginning of this conflict was Iran’s nuclear program, but attention has now shifted entirely toward global energy supplies and control of the Strait of Hormuz. According to prominent Australian National University analyst Amin Saikal, Iran regards the Strait of Hormuz as its greatest strategic leverage resulting from this war and will not relinquish the advantage it has gained through this pressure at any cost. According to him, both sides have inflicted severe damage on each other and reached a point where negotiations should logically take place, but the reality on the ground appears to be the opposite.
This is why Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts are not limited to formal meetings but are an attempt to avert a potential crisis whose consequences could be felt for generations. If Pakistan succeeds in fostering confidence between the two warring countries and manages to halt the war even for a short period, it would not merely be a ceasefire but an effort to save the entire Middle East from widespread devastation whose effects would be felt equally across the global economy, energy markets, international trade, and regional security. Otherwise, if the current military momentum continues unabated, then after the tenth night, the eleventh, twelfth, and the nights beyond will continue to write the same story of fire, smoke, and blood, while each passing day pushes the negotiating table further away and widens the battlefield even more.
(Translated by M.M. News Editorial Team)
