Bold move to defend world from nuke terrorism: Israel envoy on US strikes in Iran
Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on Sunday praised US President Donald Trump for removing the existential threat of "nuclear terrorism" not only from Israel, but from the entire region and the world, shortly after the US attacked the underground facility in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Azar said, "I think he did the right and bold move to defend not only our country, but to defend the region and to defend the world from the threat of nuclear terrorism."advertisementDismissing UN chief Antonio Guterres's "dangerous escalation" claims, Azar said he should have condemned Tehran's violations, as "Iran has been cheating the world for the last thirty years."
Shortly after Trump announced that the US armed forces had targeted Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities, Guterres slammed the action, warning that the situation in the Middle East could soon spiral out of control.However, Azar claimed that it was the Iranian regime, not Israel, that was the aggressor.He said that both the US and Israel had "acted responsibly," claiming that Iran was violating international agreements, citing the international atomic watchdog's declaration of Iran breaching its obligations under the 1974 Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.The Israeli envoy went on to list out Iran's actions to destabilise the region -- from taking over Arab capitals to developing and proliferating weapons of mass destruction.advertisement"They (Iranians) have been trying to sneak out a nuclear weapon while negotiating with the United States. So, they are the aggressors," Azar told India Today TV."The reckless behaviour of a terrorist regime (Iran) that has sworn to destroy the state of Israel" is solely responsible for today's attacks on their nuclear facilities, asserted Azar.
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Hindustan Times
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When America joins Israel's war with Iran
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Despite Iran's strained relations with many of its neighbours, the US decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities and join Israel's military campaign will make it difficult for other regional powers to resume efforts to normalise relations with Tel Aviv. Iran and its regime may not be popular in the Sunni strongholds of West Asia, but neither is Israel, especially given its actions in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian tragedy there. Russia and China are likely to increase their geopolitical influence in the region, and neither will miss opportunities to challenge Israel and the US, making the regional balance even more complex and unpredictable. Second, the attack will deepen divisions and sharpen existing global geopolitical fault lines. While the US and Israel may achieve immediate military gains, many others will be dissatisfied: With their geopolitical standing threatened, they might seek to undermine the dominance established by the US-Israel alliance in the region. Many in the Global South are likely to condemn the unilateral actions and violations of international law by the US and Israel. Meanwhile, China will look to exploit the emerging regional fractures, while Moscow will seek to recover the influence it lost in West Asia — due to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and now, through the attack on Iran — and spot an opportunity in the post-war scene. Interestingly, Europe has maintained a curious silence. However, it will inevitably ask why the US, which wanted its Nato partners to pay for their defence and abandoned Ukraine thus increasing Europe's insecurity, would resort to force in a distant country. Clearly, Trump has prioritised Israel over Nato allies; that rude reality won't be lost on Europe. Third, the American and Israeli attacks on Iran lack legitimacy under international law, and as a result, these will further undermine the credibility of the United Nations and weaken the influence of international law worldwide. For America's western partners, this presents several dilemmas. It will test their commitment to international legal frameworks as condemning the attack risks alienating Trump further, and not condemning it risks being seen as tacit support for an illegal action. Moreover, if they do not condemn the US action, the moral ground to criticise Russia will be considerably weakened. It also undermines the geopolitical standing of key western States, which were actively engaged in negotiations with the Iranian foreign minister in Geneva to end the conflict. They face the risk of losing credibility considering how Trump went ahead and bombed Iran ignoring the talks. Fourth, American engagement in the West Asian conflict could divert attention from Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia. The Iran war would be disastrous for Ukraine, especially as the US has been unable to bring Russia to the negotiating table. 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Finally, for India, the war in West Asia will likely unsettle the country's grand plans for broader engagement with the region. Energy prices are likely to spike, while heightened geopolitical divides will challenge India's ability to manage regional fault lines. If the war spreads or persists, it could also impact Indian nationals in the region and the remittances they send home. Moreover, the Iran conflict will, at least for the moment, stall India's regional plans for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the Chabahar port in Iran, projected as India's gateway to central Asia. Happymon Jacob teaches India's foreign policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University and is the editor of INDIA'S WORLD magazine. The views expressed are personal
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‘Obama will start a war with Iran to win re-election': Amid US strikes on Tehran, Donald Trump's old tweet resurfaces
A decade-old tweet from Donald Trump has come back to haunt him, at a time when he's leading a real war effort. As tensions between Israel and Iran exploded into open conflict, and the United States confirmed bombing three Iranian nuclear sites, Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, an old Trump tweet from 2013 has gone viral for its eerie irony. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly, not skilled!' Trump wrote on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Obama of planning a war to mask diplomatic failure. Similar posts from 2011 and 2012 echo the same idea: that Obama would start a war with Iran to boost poll numbers and win re-election. But now it's Trump who's ordering strikes on Iran, an action drawing both political backlash and international concern. 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran,' Trump warned Saturday night on social media, before announcing that US strikes had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear infrastructure. He blamed Tehran for rejecting his nuclear deal and reiterated, 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.' The irony wasn't lost on critics, who shared clips of Trump once saying Obama had 'no ability to negotiate' and would 'start a war with Iran' just to stay in power. Meanwhile, the fallout from the US strikes is spreading, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US action as a violation of the UN Charter and warned of "everlasting consequences." UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the attacks 'a dangerous escalation' and urged diplomacy over war. Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Trump's move, saying history would remember his 'bold decision' to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Hamas declared full solidarity with Iran, calling the US action 'brazen aggression.' As the region teeters on the brink of broader war, Trump's resurfaced words from a decade ago are being replayed in a starkly new, and deeply ironic, context.
