Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Ansari (Ph.D., International Relations)
June 19, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program has been ongoing for decades. However, the United States first mentioned Iran’s nuclear threat in 1981, when Netanyahu had not even entered politics. Over the past forty years, the US and Israel have consistently repeated the same narrative that Iran is a “great threat,” although this claim has repeatedly been proven false.
Using External Threats for Political Gain:
Exaggerating such external threats is useful for political purposes, for Israel: Netanyahu portrays Iran as a threat to divert attention from his occupation, the atrocities in Palestine, and war crimes. For the United States, it justifies its military presence in the Middle East.
The Politics of a “New Hitler” in the Middle East:
US and Israeli policy has been based on labelling some Middle Eastern person or group as the “new Hitler” in every decade:
1950s: Egyptian President Nasser
1960s: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
1970s: Iranian leader Imam Khomeini
1980s: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
1990s: Al-Qaeda
2000s: Iranian President Ahmadinejad
2010s: Palestinian Hamas
Preparing to Apply the Iraq (2003) Plan for Iran:
The same method used for the attack on Iraq is now being repeated in Iran:
1: Exaggerating the nuclear threat.
2: Declaring an immediate attack necessary.
3; Connecting the enemy to terrorist groups (just as Saddam was linked to Al-Qaeda, Iran is now being linked to the Houthis).
4: Declaring regime change as the only solution.
All these steps are now being repeated against Iran.
Support in the Israeli Public and America:
In Israel, there is a particular “desire” for this narrative. The fearmongering against Iran is also present in politically motivated books and media there.
Trump and His Contradictory Stance
Donald Trump has previously spoken out against wars, especially in the Middle East. But now his actions are becoming aggressive towards Iran, perhaps under the influence of Netanyahu or the American Deep State. His supporters, particularly those from the MAGA movement, are upset with him and see him as being used by Netanyahu.
The Reality of “Mission Accomplished”
The Iraq War Example:
* Just a few months after the occupation of Iraq, “Mission Accomplished” was declared, but the war continued for twenty years.
* Three trillion dollars were spent, and thousands of Americans and millions of Iraqis were killed.
* The same happened in Afghanistan: easy occupation, but prolonged resistance and ultimately humiliation.
God forbid, the same could happen with Iran; occupation is possible, but the results would be disastrous.
Iran Cannot Be Defeated:
Claims of victory are deceptive: “Victory” is declared repeatedly, but in reality, nothing changes.
Iran cannot be controlled: If Iran is occupied, it could turn into a major failure.
Military solutions have failed: Societies cannot be changed with a gun. Today’s world is not like World War II.
Iran’s Nuclear Stance
Iran, a regular member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has abandoned plans to build nuclear weapons since 2003. At that time, the Supreme Leader issued a clear fatwa stating that nuclear weapons are forbidden. US intelligence agencies have also confirmed this.
Conclusion:
If Trump imposes war on Iran, he will repeat the same historical mistake the US made in Iraq, a war that will only bring more destruction, resistance, loss of human lives, and international disgrace.
