Iran-Israel war - don't let the world be the victim
The war between Israel and Iran that erupted in mid-June has brought the Middle East to the brink of a wider conflagration. More than 650 Iranians and at least two dozen Israelis are dead. Thousands more have been wounded. And while the military dimensions of the conflict are serious enough, the political fallout for the United States—and for its former president—may be equally consequential.
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise campaign against Iranian military and nuclear facilities, killing senior commanders and striking critical sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. Iran responded with a barrage of missiles and drones. When the United States entered the conflict on June 22 under Operation Midnight Hammer, it was a stark signal that this was no longer a regional skirmish, but a major war with global implications.
Yet it was not bombs or missiles that most startled the international community. It was a message posted on social media.
On the night of June 23, Donald J. Trump announced that a “complete and total ceasefire” had been reached between Israel and Iran. The statement was not only false—it was disavowed within hours by Iranian officials—but it appears to have been made without full awareness of Israeli military intentions. When Israeli jets launched additional strikes after the announcement, Mr. Trump’s public fury was immediate: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS... BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
In that moment, a rare rupture was laid bare between the former president and one of America’s closest allies.
It is not merely that Israel resumed bombing after the ceasefire. It is that the ceasefire may never have existed at all. Evidence strongly suggests that Israeli officials, while coordinating closely with Washington on some matters, withheld key information about their operational goals and timelines. According to Israeli media reports, Jerusalem had earlier sought American approval for the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, a proposal reportedly rejected by Mr. Trump. The fact that such a request was even raised—and not disclosed publicly—speaks volumes about the extent of Israeli ambitions.
If these reports are accurate, they point to a pattern of behavior that undermines not only trust, but strategic coherence. Allies do not surprise one another with unilateral action. Allies do not create diplomatic traps for partners trying to negotiate a ceasefire. And allies do not, in the middle of a war, risk the credibility of a former (and possibly future) American president through silence or subterfuge.
Israel’s long history of selective disclosure during wartime only sharpens this concern. From its denials regarding the use of white phosphorus in Gaza in 2023–24—later contradicted by independent human rights monitors—to recent obfuscations over casualty counts, Jerusalem has at times appeared more interested in narrative control than in transparency. These tendencies may have once been tolerable. In a conflict with nuclear implications, they are not.
The consequences of the current breach extend beyond U.S.-Israel relations. If Washington is perceived—rightly or wrongly—as unable to manage its allies, it risks forfeiting diplomatic credibility in the broader region. Already, some officials in Tehran have accused Israel of using Mr. Trump’s ceasefire declaration as a diversionary tactic. It is not hard to see why.
The damage is real and avoidable. Military cooperation demands more than firepower; it requires mutual understanding and shared restraint. By appearing to act without regard for either, Israel has done harm not only to its alliance with the United States, but to the principles of good-faith diplomacy that undergird any hope for peace.
@by: Abu Mujahid
The author is a geopolitical and international relations analyst, specializing in Middle Eastern dynamics and U.S. foreign policy.
Refference:
stimson.org, csis.org, jewishvirtuallibrary.org, indiatvnews.com, bitrue.com, edition.cnn.com, apnews.com, cnbc.com, aljazeera.com, timesofisrael.com, etc
