Anatomy of the war and a steadfast Pakistan

Business Recorder

6 hours ago

The Israeli aggression against Iran launched only two days prior to the resumption of Iran-US talks on Iran's nuclear programme was intended to sabotage the talks and clear the way for an Israeli attack on Iran. Six factors regarding Israel's aggression are significant. First, it had the full backing of the Donald Trump's administration.
Key Washington insiders plus Donald Trump himself publicly said they were told about the Israeli attack before it was launched. By all CNN and BBC accounts, the US President chaired a meeting two days prior to the Israeli attack at Camp David to clear the Tel Aviv attack plan with all his top advisors. Clearly, without the US clearance Israel could not have launched the attack since it was, as always, going to bank upon US military support.
Second, the US-Iran talks were going well. In March, the head of US Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had testified in a Congressional hearing that Iran was honoring its commitments made to the US and Ayatullah Ali Khamenai's 2003 public edict that Iran will not make a nuclear bomb was being followed by the Iranian government. She had said Iran is at least three years away from making a nuclear bomb.
It was clear that Donald Trump with his key political and strategic partner, Israel, wanted to use force to attempt the impossible, i.e., complete destruction of Iran's nuclear programme. In his last Administration Trump had torn apart the JCPOA agreement in 2018 that the Obama administration in a 5 plus 1 framework had negotiated with Iran. Hence Trump was determined, irrespective of US's own intel conclusion that Iran must not have a nuclear programme. Evidently naïve in his understanding of Iran's determination regarding retaining a programme, he wanted Iran to give up its nuclear programme the way Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine, and South Africa did.
Third, the US and Israeli calculation was that with all their war machine, the unquestioned support of majority of western countries and their strategic partner India, Iran located in a stranglehold context with majority of the Gulf states not only offering tacit support to Israel and the US but also with 40,000 plus US troops and its multiple warships loaded with fourth and fifth generation fighter jets, etc., the Islamic republic would be an easy prey.
Additionally, they were banking on Iranians to rise up against the current Iranian regime. Mossad and the CIA had been preparing the deposed Shah of Iran's son to come and take over after the regime collapse. He was regularly trying to beam messages to the Iranians, saying Israel is not against people, but against the 'horrible' government. A fanciful plan in which two days ago US administration reportedly had asked Elon Musk to manage digital penetration into Iran so the 'new' CIA-Mossad-Shah's message to 'his' people could be freely beamed throughout Iran.
Fourth, the Iranian security and intelligence network had been penetrated for a while. In fact, the first was the top IGRC Commander in 2000. This time hence the beginning of the Iranian attack was synchronized with assassinating about ten top level nuclear scientists, several top commanders and Khamenei's top advisor. Such an across-the-board deadly massacre was calculated to have destroyed the will and the morale along with almost obliterating Iran's nuclear brains and the expertise.
Fifth, the Trump administration along with Israelis had long planned to destroy current Iranian regime, not just the nuclear programme. The plan was to follow their earlier model of regime change and installation of pro-US-Israel regimes. Or, at least, non-confrontational regimes. As General Wellesely Clark pointed out that twenty plus years ago the plan was removal of 7 regimes. Iran was the last among those that had to be ambushed and destroyed.
Sixth, the Israel-US joint plan was to use B2 bombers with bunker busting bombs to completely destroy or obliterate the nuclear sites. But this has not been achieved, according to even many noted American nuclear experts.
After all what began during Trump's last administration as the Abraham Accords could not be implemented without destruction of this Iranian regime. A friendly and peaceful region that is conceived with Palestinians getting the statehood that multiple UNSC resolutions have committed to them would be viable but one that envisages genocide of the Palestinians that we are witnessing cannot be viable.
Israel-US plan masterminded by the US strategic guru, a brilliant mind and a pro-Zionist ideologically, had conceived through salami tactics to divide and conquer politically, economically and strategically the Arab world where the Greater Israel plan could be comfortably planted.
Iran fought back, did not buckle under pressure, wasn't defeated through surprise, deception, war machine, destruction within, deaths of its civilians and much more. The war has left Iran in a very difficult position, economically especially.
However, Iran's very costly but heroic survival despite the multiple force and multiple nation' onslaught means, for now at least, the last bastion against US and Israel domination is still in place.
For Iran diplomacy was never on offer. All the talk by the Trump administration for diplomacy, peace and negotiations was meant to deflect from the harsh reality that Iran was being bombed to surrender. The occasionally candid Trump even messaged on X unconditional surrender!
Israel has been defeated in a war that it arrogantly and confidently began with the total military, diplomatic and political support of the United States, India and almost all the western countries. Iran has won the war! This is the most significant victory in the last half a century of any country against Israel and the bunch of it backers.
And, the victor happens to be a non-Arab Islamic country, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel's genocide in Gaza now needs to be stopped through action, not words alone.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has again demonstrated that we follow the legacy of the founder of the nation. In the true spirit of our Quaid, who valiantly stood up for Palestinian rights when Pakistan was not even 6-month-old, each and every government of Pakistan has largely stood for the rights of Islamic countries. And so did this government.
Pakistan without reference to Iran's track on supporting Pakistan when Pakistan's genuine friends should have, Pakistan led from the front in rallying diplomatic support for Iran. Pakistan took a bold and principled stance against Israeli aggression from the moment Israel, backed by the US, India and most western capitals, consistently aggressed against Iran.
Whether in Pakistan, New York or DC, all of Pakistan's top office holders and military commanders condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in violation of all rules and norms of international law. Pakistan condemned US by name in its official statement for attacking Iran's nuclear sites in violation of international law.
Iran's realpolitik manual would do well to include the principle that only real friends show up in crisis!
And meanwhile Pakistan must be more mindful of handing out Nobel Prize nominations!
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025