America’s illegal attack on Iran is just as criminal as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

"War is essentially an evil thing . . . To initiate a war of aggression is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime . . .” – Nuremberg Declaration on the Crime of Aggression (1946)

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack. 

For the past four years, American political and media elites have heaped condemnation on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine—imposing sanctions, supplying weapons to Ukrainian forces, and framing Moscow’s actions as grave violations of international law. Yet as of February 28th, the United States under President Donald Trump—alongside Israel—has launched a large-scale, illegal and unprovoked military campaign against Iran.

 

The parallels between Russia’s war in Ukraine and the US-Israeli assault on Iran are striking and undeniable. Both involve unprovoked aggression against sovereign nations, Orwellian rhetoric to deny the reality of war, fabricated claims of imminent threats from the nation being attacked, and the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity through the targeting of civilian infrastructure. Furthermore, the attack on Iran echoes the illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq, which unleashed decades of regional instability, resulted in the death of millions of innocents, and risks the same catastrophic outcomes today.

It’s notable that both aggressors refuse to call their actions a “war.” When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it labelled its assault a “special military operation,” banning Russian officials and media from using terms like “war,” “invasion,” or “attack.” This linguistic evasion allowed Moscow to maintain the fiction of a limited, defensive action while prosecuting full-scale aggression against its neighbour.

 

The Trump administration is employing the same Orwellian doublespeak. In announcing the attack on Iran Trump talked about “major combat operations”, not a war. Similarly his Republican allies are insisting, “This isn’t a war,” “We haven’t declared war on Iran,” and “We are not at war with the Iranian people.” White House messaging to Republican in Congress has urged framing the campaign as “major combat operations” or “strategic strikes” rather than war.

This approach echoes the themes of George Orwell’s novel “1984”, where aggressive bombing becomes mere “operations,” war becomes “peace”, and denial becomes government policy. The hypocrisy is clear when one compares the current situation to the speech that President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the day following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—an attack that occurred during ongoing peace negotiations—which the US immediately deemed an act of war. By comparison, Oman-mediated US-Iran nuclear talks were reportedly making “significant progress” and were “within reach” just hours before the February 28 strikes began. Yet the Trump administration denies that any state of war exists.

Let’s examine the justifications for the attacks given by both Russia and the US. In both instances the leaders of each nation rely on baseless claims of “pre-emptive” strikes against an “imminent threat.” In 2022, Putin asserted that Ukraine and NATO posed an immediate danger to Russia—a claim unsupported by credible evidence. Similarly, Trump and his officials have justified the US attack on Iran by insisting the country posed an imminent threat, pointing to its arsenal of ballistic missiles, the alleged impending assembly of nuclear warheads, and potential retaliation against Israeli actions, which would endanger American troops in the region. Yet Pentagon briefings to Congress revealed no intelligence indicating Iran planned a first strike on the United States or that it posed an imminent threat to US military bases on its borders.

Adding to the confusion is the uncoordinated messaging from trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested the US struck pre-emptively because Israel was planning its own attack on Iran, which would have prompted Tehran to retaliate against American forces in the region. This convoluted logic—attacking first to avert a hypothetical response to Israel’s planned aggression—only escalates an already unstable situation rather than pursuing de-escalation by restraining America’s primary Middle East ally.

The inconsistent and illogical American reasoning mirrors Putin’s pretexts for the invasion of Ukraine and quickly collapses under scrutiny. There is no credible evidence supporting the notion of an imminent Iranian attack or any direct threat to US military assets in the Persian Gulf region or on the US homeland. Moreover, assertions that Iran was on the verge of assembling a nuclear warhead are refuted by US and NATO intelligence experts, who confirm that Iran lacks the near-term capacity to produce a functional nuclear weapon.

Third, and most gravely, both the Russian and American attacks involve war crimes through the deliberate or reckless targeting of civilians. Russia faced global condemnation for bombing a school in Bilohorivka, Ukraine, on May 7, 2022, where around 90 civilians were sheltering, with approximately 60 killed or feared dead after an airstrike set the building ablaze. Russian attacks on hospitals drew similar condemnations from the US and its allies. In March 2022, Hillary Clinton tweeted that Russian leaders should stop bombing hospitals if they wished to avoid war-crimes accusations.

The US-Israeli campaign against Iran replicates Russia’s pattern. The day of the first strikes a missile hit a girls’ elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, killing at least 165 schoolgirls (with some reports citing up to 175 deaths). Satellite imagery and analyses attribute the strike to US forces amid operations targeting a nearby naval base. Had Iran perpetrated such an attack on American soil it would have been front page news for days amid international outrage. But because the children weren’t white or Christian the response by Western governments, including Canada’s, has been muted.

Attacks in the following days saw bomb and missile damage to hospitals, including Gandhi Hospital in Tehran, forcing evacuations amid broader strikes on civilian sites. Iranian authorities reported that multiple medical facilities had been hit, alongside more schools and strikes in residential areas. United Nations experts condemned the school bombing as a “grave violation of humanitarian law” and called for investigation. If Russian attacks on schools and hospitals om Ukraine constituted war crimes—and international consensus holds they did—then US and Israeli actions demand the same judgment under the Geneva Conventions.

The rhetorical justifications by both Russia and the US are merely interchangeable propaganda. Putin claimed his actions in Ukraine were intended to fight “Nazis” and terrorists while “liberating” Ukrainians. Trump asserts that American actions combats Iranian “terrorists” and brings “freedom” to Iranians oppressed by the regime. Both promise that regime change will usher in freedom and democracy, while denying their on self-serving imperialistic geopolitical motives.

The true driver behind the US-Israeli assault on Iran is a long-standing Israeli strategic objective—spanning nearly four decades—to neutralize Iran, the last major Muslim power in the Middle East capable of resisting Israeli dominance and the last Muslim nation in the region steadfastly supporting the Palestinian struggle for freedom. For years, Israeli governments, particularly under Benjamin Netanyahu, have pressed successive US presidents—both Republican and Democratic—to join or lead military action against Iran. Previous administrations resisted Israel’s agenda of military aggression, recognizing the likely havoc that would ensue—widespread instability, massive civilian casualties, and prolonged regional turmoil.

This pattern echoes the 2003 US invasion of Iraq—a war also strongly advocated by Netanyahu—launched without UN Security Council authorization, predicated on fabricated claims of weapons of mass destruction and nonexistent ties to al-Qaeda. Then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explicitly declared the invasion illegal under the UN Charter, stating that it was not in conformity with the UN’s foundational document and was illegal. The consequences of that war (and the “war on terror”) have been devastating and enduring—more than four million dead, millions more displaced, the rise of ISIS from the resulting power vacuum, sectarian violence and instability, and the loss of an entire generation of human potential. The impact of that illegal war will continue to afflict the region for generations.

Today’s campaign against Iran follows the identical playbook—no congressional declaration of war, no UN mandate, and a constantly shifting set of rationales—regime change one moment, missile disarmament the next, nuclear prevention another. The inevitable outcome will mirror Iraq’s aftermath and result in widespread civilian devastation, power vacuums that breed extremism and new terrorist groups, and decades of chaos exported across the Middle East and beyond. History has already shown that such unprovoked interventions do not enhance security; they undermine it, creating the very threats they purport to eliminate.

International law offers no exceptions to nations, even those that are superpowers. The UN Charter prohibits unprovoked force except in self-defence against armed attack or with Security Council approval—neither applies here. Bombing schools and hospitals, assassinating leaders during diplomacy, and launching pre-emptive wars violate core humanitarian norms. The US cannot condemn Russian aggression while committing criminal acts that are similar. If outrage over Ukraine was principled, the same standards must apply to the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Accountability—via international courts if necessary—must follow.

The Iranian people, like the Ukrainians before them, deserve peace, not to serve as pawns in yet another superpower’s regime-change experiment. Regional stability will never emerge from more bombs. History, from the catastrophic aftermath of Iraq onward, proves the opposite with grim consistency.

As the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg declared in its final judgment: “War is essentially an evil thing. Its consequences are not confined to the belligerent States alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”

Until the US confronts its own reflection in Putin’s actions—that launching an unprovoked war of aggression carries the same moral and legal weight regardless of who wields the power—the cycle of hypocrisy, war crimes, and spreading instability will persist unbroken. The only real distinction between Russia’s war on Ukraine and the US war against Iran is the language spoken by the aggressor nation. The fabrications that justify invasion, the suffering inflicted on civilians, and the long-term ruin sown across entire regions remain tragically, inexcusably identical.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

US-Israeli attack on Iran shows West’s hypocrisy, erodes our humanity, and opens Pandora’s Box

By assassinating a sovereign nation’s leader without provocation, the US and Israel have opened Pandora’s Box. What prevents other nations from doing the same against leaders they see as threats? 

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack. 

On February 28th the world witnessed a brazen act of aggression as the United States and Israel launched a coordinated assault on Iran, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, members of his family, and the bombing of a girls’ elementary school where 165 innocent children perished amid the rubble. This unprovoked strike, cloaked in vague claims of pre-emptive self-defence, exemplifies the depths of Western evil and hypocrisy. While the West preaches human rights, international law, and the sanctity of life, it unleashes devastation on non-Western nations with impunity, revealing a profound lack of humanity that prioritizes geopolitical dominance over innocent lives. Not only should the US and Israel be condemned for their actions, but also for their unfounded justifications for the attack, as should the shameful complicity of allies like Canada and certain European nations, whose support for this act of war expose the hollowness of their moral posturing.

 

The assault’s unfounded nature is glaring. Iran posed no imminent threat to the US or Israel at the time of the strike. There were no credible intelligence reports of an impending Iranian attack, no evidence of nuclear weaponization beyond speculative rhetoric, and no active aggression against Western interests. Instead, the operation appears rooted in long-standing animosities, exaggerated fears of Iran’s regional influence, and a desire to decapitate its leadership under the guise of “strategic necessity.” This mirrors historical patterns where Western powers fabricate threats to justify invasions or assassinations, such as the US killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020, which escalated tensions without resolving underlying issues. By framing Iran as an existential danger, the US and Israel ignored diplomatic avenues, opting for violence that has destabilized the Middle East further. Such actions are not defence but imperialism, echoing colonial-era interventions where might makes right.

The human cost is staggering and unforgivable. The bombing of the girls’ school in Minab, a civilian target with no military value, resulted in the deaths of 165 children, alongside scores of other innocents. This is not collateral damage.  It is a deliberate disregard for life, reminiscent of repeated Israeli strikes on schools in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinian children have been killed in similar assaults labeled as “precision” operations.

Reports from the scene depict rescuers pulling charred bodies from the debris, a scene of horror that underscores the barbarism at play. Western leaders often decry child casualties in conflicts involving their adversaries—think of the outrage over Russian strikes in Ukraine—but here, the response is muted, if not defensive. This selective empathy reveals a dehumanizing bias, one where Muslim and Middle Eastern lives are expendable, mere statistics in the ledger of power politics. The lack of humanity is profound, seeing as it treats entire populations as disposable to advance Western agendas, eroding the very principles of universal human rights that the West claims to champion.

Compounding the evil inherent in US and Israeli actions is the hypocrisy of Western support for the attack. Canada, under Prime Minister Mark Carney, offered full-throated endorsement, framing it as necessary to prevent Iran from threatening international peace. This stance is shameful, given Canada’s self-proclaimed image as a defender of multilateralism and human rights. Unlike in 2003 when Canadian PM Jean Chretien refused to support the illegal American invasion of Iraq and endorse the international rule of law instead, Carney has chosen the opposite path for Canada—endorsing illegal acts that further shred international law.

Similarly, European nations like France, Germany, and the UK issued statements urging restraint but stopped short of outright condemnation, emphasizing Iran’s “destabilizing” role while ignoring the unilateral and illegal actions of the aggressors. These countries, part of the E3 group, have long criticized Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities but turn a blind eye to Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal and aggressive policies. Their complicity exposes a double standard.  When Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe mobilized sanctions and aid. Yet when the US and Israel bomb Iran, they call for “negotiated solutions” without calling for accountability for the two nations’ criminal acts. This hypocrisy fractures global trust, as non-Western nations see the “rules-based order” as a tool for Western dominance, not justice. 

The attack’s broader implications are equally chilling. By assassinating a sovereign nation’s leader without provocation, the US and Israel have set a dangerous precedent that undermines international norms. If such actions are justifiable based on perceived threats—real or imagined—then what prevents other nations from taking similar action against the leaders of nations they see as threats?

Consider a hypothetical. If a Middle Eastern country viewed Israel’s leadership as a genuine threat to regional peace, given its history of unprovoked attacks on neighbouring nations and decades long occupation of Palestinian lands, could it not invoke the same logic to target Israeli officials? Or, extending the thought, if China perceived US policies as a threat to its security, might it rationalize assassinating American leaders?

This is not an endorsement of violence but a stark illustration of the anarchy that would ensue when powerful states act as judge, jury, and executioner. The world would descend into chaos, with assassinations becoming the norm and declarations of war being issued, eroding sovereignty and inviting endless retaliation. As odious as aspects of Iran’s regime may be—its human rights abuses and suppression of women’s rights—murdering its leaders will achieve nothing but cycles of vengeance. If the West’s rationale holds, then rogue actors everywhere gain legitimacy, opening Pandora’s Box and lighting a global inferno. 

In condemning this unjustifiable and barbaric attack, we are forced to confront the profound moral decay rotting at the heart of Western foreign policy. The actions of the United States and Israel, shamefully backed by Canada and key European enablers, are not mere aberrations but glaring symptoms of a global system that ruthlessly prioritizes hegemonic control over the sanctity of human life. As rescue workers continue to sift through the rubble of the girls' elementary school in Minab where at least 165 innocent children have been confirmed dead amid conflicting early reports of rising tolls, history will indelibly judge this not as a triumph over tyranny but as an eternal stain on the fabric of civilization—a grotesque tableau where the blood of the young fuels the insatiable fires of Western hypocrisy.

True peace can only be forged through unwavering accountability—impartial investigations under the auspices of international law, targeted sanctions against the aggressors, and a resolute recommitment to diplomacy rather than unjustifiable aggression. Anything less not only perpetuates the insidious evil that now indelibly scars Iran and imperils the world but condemns humanity to a future where the cries of slaughtered innocents echo unanswered, demanding that we rise as one to dismantle the machinery of imperial terror before it consumes us all.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

The US-Israeli attack on Iran is igniting a powder keg that will have global repercussions

The repercussions will be dire and far-reaching, affecting the people of the Middle East and populations worldwide . . . Proponents claim this will “decapitate” a rogue state but history teaches us otherwise.

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack.

On February 28, 2026, the world awoke to the thunder of missiles and airstrikes in the Middle East as the United States and Israel launched a coordinated, unprovoked attack on Iran. Framed by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a pre-emptive strike to halt Iran’s alleged imminent completion of a nuclear warhead, as well as to overthrow the regime, this assault marks a brazen violation of international law and the UN Charter.

Iran posed no imminent threat to either nation, and the justification for the attack echoes decades-old fear mongering that has repeatedly failed to materialize. This act of aggression is not merely a regional skirmish. It threatens to destabilize the entire Middle East, disrupt global energy supplies, and plunge the world into economic turmoil. Moreover, it exposes the hollow rhetoric of leaders like Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who advocated independence from American hegemony in Davos, but instead has revealed himself as little more than an American lapdog by supporting the US attack, forsaking an independent Canadian foreign policy.

The repercussions of this attack will be dire and far-reaching, affecting not just the people of the Middle East but populations worldwide. The region, already scarred by decades of conflict, instigated by the West and Israel, stands on the brink of unprecedented instability. Iran’s response—launching retaliatory strikes and mobilizing its proxies—has already escalated tensions with neighbouring Arab nations. The US-Israeli attack has targeted Iran’s military infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and leadership, potentially killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and crippling the regime’s command structure. While proponents claim this will “decapitate” a rogue state, history teaches us otherwise.

The 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, justified by fabricated claims of weapons of mass destruction, did not bring stability to the region. It unleashed chaos, sectarian violence, and the rise of terrorist groups like ISIS. Similarly, this assault on Iran risks fracturing the country along ethnic and religious lines, empowering hardliners, and spawning new insurgencies that could spill over into Iraq, Syria, and beyond.

The potential human cost will be staggering. Millions of Iranians, already enduring economic hardship under years of US-led sanctions, now face the horrors of war—bombings, displacement, break down of civil society, and possibly famine. Neighbouring countries, home to refugees from past conflicts, will bear the brunt of any mass exodus, but the instability won’t stop at borders.

The Persian Gulf, through which the majority of Middle Eastern oil flows—accounting for about 20% of global crude oil consumption via the Strait of Hormuz—has become a flash point. Iranian forces have already telegraphed their intent to restrict shipping through the strait, and tanker traffic has slowed amid fears of blockade or sabotage. A prolonged disruption could spike oil prices to levels not seen the late 2000s when prices topped $140 per barrel, triggering inflation, recessions, and energy shortages worldwide. Europe, still dealing with the repercussions of the on-going Russia-Ukraine war, would be hit hard, as would developing economies in Asia and Africa dependent on stable and affordable oil prices. The global supply chain, already fragile, could unravel, exacerbating poverty and inequality. This is not hyperbole, it’s the predictable outcome of US military aggression destabilizing a region that fuels most of the world’s economy.

Compounding this folly is the abject failure of international diplomacy. The UN Charter explicitly prohibits the use of force except in self-defence or with Security Council approval—neither of which applies here. Iran, for all its deep flaws, was not on the verge of attacking anyone, contrary to the claims made by the US and Israel. Intelligence assessments from US allies have long dismissed Netanyahu’s perennial claims of an “imminent” Iranian nuclear bomb as exaggerated. These warnings date back to the 1990s, when Netanyahu, as a Knesset member, predicted Iran would have nuclear capabilities within three to five years—a timeline that has has been recycled ad nauseam without becoming reality. Previous US presidents, from both parties, resisted Israel’s pressure to attack Iran precisely because they understood the catastrophic blowback and its long lasting implications. However, Trump’s decision to green light this attack, in close coordination with Israel, reeks of election-year posturing, prioritizing geopolitical ambitions over any sincere efforts to seek long-term peace.

In this grim scenario, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s response stands out as a particularly shameful capitulation to the Trump geopolitical agenda. At the World Economic Forum in Davos just weeks ago, Carney delivered a powerful speech railing against American coercion, touting Canada’s sovereignty, and vowing to “disconnect” from US dominance. He spoke of “elbows up” defiance, positioning himself as a bulwark against Trump’s authoritarian agenda.

Yet, when confronted with a blatant violation of international law by a president who has made a habit of ignoring international norms, Carney has parroted US talking points, offering adamant support for the Iran attack and framing them as necessary to counter a “regional threat.” This doesn’t demonstrate leadership but rather theatrical hypocrisy—bluster and bravado at home and abroad about how Canada would walk its own path masking a deeper subservience to the US, revealing Canada is still in lockstep with American imperialism when push comes to shove.

Contrast this with the stance of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 2003. Faced with the US-led push to invade Iraq without UN sanction, Chrétien stood firm, condemning the action as a violation of international law and refusing to join the “coalition of the willing.” His decision, supported by an overwhelming majority of Canadians, preserved Canada’s moral standing and spared it from the quagmire that followed. Iraq’s destabilization not only cost the US trillions of dollars and resulted in the death of millions of Iraqis but birthed new terror networks that continue to haunt the world today.

Carney, by contrast, has shown no such courage in his response to the attack on Iran. His knee jerk support for the US and Israel aligns him with Trump—a leader who has disdain for the international rule of law, as evidenced by his attack on Venezuela, his efforts to bring down the Cuban government, and attempts to annex Greenland. Carney has railed against Trump for the benefit of domestic audiences, decrying tariffs and his bullying, but with the Iran attack has jumped to echo the US president’s war cries. This duplicitous duality exposes the emptiness of Carney’s nationalist rhetoric. His performative rebellion for Canadian voters while aligning with the actions of a fascist warmonger destabilizing the Middle East, shows a leader who should not be trusted. It seems when it comes to Iran and Middle East geopolitics Carney’s leash is held firmly by Washington.

European nations that have joined in supporting the strikes—blaming Iran despite its lack of imminent aggression—make a mockery of their professed commitment to international law. This hypocrisy underscores a dangerous double standard, one where Western powers flout rules they impose on the Global South, demanding submission, threatening their adversaries with military aggression or economic coercion if they don’t.

Admittedly Iran, a decidedly “vile government” that brutally violates its citizens’ rights, is no saint. But if human rights were the true motive for the US-Israeli attack, as they have stated is part of the justification for the military action, why not target China, Russia, or North Korea to free the people of those nations from tyranny? The answer is that neither the US, Israel, nor its allies truly care about protecting the human rights of oppressed peoples. Additionally, these nations possess something that Iran doesn’t—nuclear weapons. Their arsenals provide leverage against bullies like the US that Iran is lacking. Paradoxically, this attack may be a catalyst that accelerates nuclear proliferation worldwide, as vulnerable states conclude that nuclear weapons are the only shield against unprovoked assault by the super powers of this world.

History will judge the perpetrators harshly. The United States, once seen as a beacon of democracy, will be remembered as a rogue empire that squandered its advantage on endless wars and coups, from Vietnam to Latin America to Afghanistan to Iraq—and now Iran. Its actions have eroded global trust, fuelling anti-Americanism and empowering its adversaries. Israel will also be etched in history as one of the most evil regimes of the 20th and 21st centuries. For decades, Zionist influence has steered US foreign policy toward dismantling Middle Eastern powers supportive of Palestinian rights—Egypt and Jordan via peace deals, Iraq through lies about WMDs, Libya via NATO bombings, and now Iran as the final obstacle to Israel’s hegemonic ambitions in the region.

This attack isn’t about security as the US and Israel claim. It is about erasing opposition to expansionism, to an ethnic cleansing and genocide agenda targeting Palestinians, that began with the Nakba in 1948 and continues in Gaza and the West Bank today. It is also about controlling the flow of oil which powers the engine of US and Western imperialism and economic control.

Canada, too, will face condemnation in the history books. By endorsing this illegal, unjustified attack on Iran, Carney has further tarnished a nation that was once admired for peacekeeping and multilateralism. Future generations will view this as a betrayal, akin to complicity in colonial atrocities. The attack on Iran is just the opening salvo in regime-change efforts, but without addressing root causes—Western meddling and Israel’s territorial and genocidal ambitions. It will only sow more anti-American and anti-Israel hatred, and will further destabilize a region that plays a key role in the global economic engine.

This assault is a reckless gamble, in support of Israel’s regional agenda, that endangers the global community. It destabilizes a volatile region, threatens economic stability and hammers another nail into the coffin of the so-called “international order” that Western leaders often talk about. Leaders like Carney, who enable it through spineless alignment with the US agenda, must be held accountable. The world must demand de-escalation, UN mediation, and a return to diplomacy before this spark ignites a global inferno. History and basic humanity demands no less.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

Trump’s State of the Union speech shows a narcissistic, sociopath who is a danger to Americans and the world

Fascism in the vein of Hitler's regime is starkly manifest in Trump's America, in its cult of personality, in threats against those that oppose him, and fervent white nationalism and white supremacy.

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address the United States is at a crossroads, grappling with a vision of leadership that prioritizes spectacle over substance. Delivered in the House of Representatives chamber the speech clocked in at an unprecedented 1 hour and 48 minutes, shattering records for length while offering a barrage of claims about economic revival, border security, and global dominance that were not based in reality. This marathon speech painted a picture of America resurgent under Trump’s stewardship. Yet, beneath the bravado and the chants of “USA” from Republicans in the chamber, the address revealed deeper fissures in the fabric of American democracy—echoes of a superpower diminished and declining not due to external forces, but by internal deceptions, divisions, corruption and hubris.

Trump’s narrative centred on an economy he described as “roaring” and “booming,” crediting his policies for record job growth and plummeting inflation. He boasted of unemployment holding steady at around 4.3%, with wage growth outpacing inflation and consumer confidence on the rise. However, these assertions mask a more troubling reality. Fact-checkers noted exaggerations, such as his claim of inheriting a “stagnant economy” from the previous administration, when in truth, he built upon a post-pandemic recovery already underway during Joe Biden’s last year in office. American GDP growth slowed to 1.4% in the last quarter of 2025, attributed in part to a prolonged government shutdown the prior year. Such selective storytelling fosters a culture where facts are malleable, tailored to fit a narrative of unassailable success, leaving citizens starved of objective truth and vulnerable to manipulated perceptions.

The speech’s emphasis on immigration enforcement further highlighted a troubling embrace of cruelty over humanity. Trump clashed sharply with Democrats, accusing them of prioritizing “illegal aliens” over American citizens and urging the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act—a law condemned by the American Civil Liberties Union—to mandate proof of citizenship for voting. He touted mass deportations and border security as triumphs, claiming the border is now “secure” and crime rates are dropping. Yet, reports indicate that operations by what many American’s are calling the “ICE gestapo” (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents) have led to the detention of tens of thousands, including US citizens, and at least two American deaths in custody, as well as the public shootings of two American citizens in Minnesota. This approach sees compassion as a weakness, celebrating policies that inflict suffering on vulnerable populations while ignoring the human cost. Outrage is reserved not for these injustices, but for any critique of Trump’s lies, by his army of MAGA trolls who worship the ground he walks on.

Trump’s portrayal of himself as a saviour figure—a billionaire outsider rescuing the nation from decline— was on full display. He honoured heroes like the US men’s hockey team and awarded medals, framing himself as the architect of national renewal amid the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary. Supporters on social media hailed the speech as “epic” and “thrilling,” praising his invocation of Judeo-Christian values and declaration of America as a “Christian nation,” a supreme irony given the decidedly anti-Christian practices of his administration. However, this adulation overlooks his history of legal troubles, including more than 30 convictions that his MAGA base dismisses as political persecution. The address recycled unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, sowing doubt in democratic processes and feeding conspiracy theories that sustain his grip on power.

A particularly alarming theme emerged in Trump’s foreign policy pronouncements, where he positioned the US as a dominant global force which, in reality, is wreaking calculated havoc abroad. He addressed tensions with Iran, stating they “want to make a deal more than I do” but refusing to budge on nuclear ambitions, while boasting of “Operation Midnight Hammer” that allegedly obliterated their program. He mentioned seizing 80 million barrels of Venezuelan oil following the attack on Maduro’s regime, framing it as an economic win.

Such actions, presented as triumphs, resemble unchecked aggression, scorching distant lands with the fire of American interventionism. The global community watches warily, aware that one reckless move could unleash catastrophe, where international relationships are undone due to colonial and imperialistic ambitions.

Domestically, the speech exacerbated existing divisions, splitting the nation into echo chambers of resentment. Trump lambasted Democrats for not standing during applause lines on protecting citizens, supporting victims of crimes by undocumented immigrants, or endorsing voter ID laws. Incidents like Democratic Rep. Al Green’s removal for holding a sign reading “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES” underscored the racial tensions simmering beneath the surface. His base consumes these narratives through social media, where memes and half-truths nourish a worldview of supremacy, declaring that Trumpian acolytes are the true guardians of society while demonizing others as traitors.

Even the tech sector’s billionaire moguls—individuals whose vast fortunes insulate them from the everyday hardships faced by ordinary people—now display a disturbing deference to Trump’s authoritarian leanings. During the address, he proudly announced a so-called “Rate Payer Protection Pledge,“ claiming he had secured agreements with major AI and tech companies to ensure they cover their own electricity costs for power-hungry data centres, framing himself as an unrivalled master negotiator who shields everyday consumers from rising bills.

Yet this supposed triumph reveals a deeper capitulation. These once-independent titans of Silicon Valley who built empires on disruption and free inquiry, now appear to bend the knee to a leader whose governance increasingly resembles that of tyrants in authoritarian regimes. By aligning with policies that prioritize short-term optics over principled oversight, they help sustain a man who thrives on division, spectacle, and the erosion of accountability. What begins as pragmatic self-interest in powering AI ambitions risks becoming complicity in a broader fog of moral and democratic decrepitude. 

The address’s combative turn, about an hour in, shifted from optimism to grievances against the Supreme Court for striking down his global tariffs—a policy he vowed to resurrect through new means, even suggesting tariffs could eventually replace income taxes. The fact that he was critical of the four justices sitting before him (a majority refused to attend), whose job is to be a check against government overreach illustrates a leader who greets any criticism with scorn, continuing to pursue discredited ideas with renewed vigour despite their illegality, much like the fable of the emperor with no clothes being flattered by his subjects. 

As the speech unfolded, one could say that Americans were witnessing another step in the slow unravelling of world’s oldest constitutional democracy. Many of the proposals outlined in Trump’s speech, sounded appealing but lacked the legislative details, serving more as a political rallying cry aimed at the mid-term elections rather than substantive policy proposals. With approval ratings for Trump hovering lower than ever the address aimed to reset his agenda amid economic worries and a potential war with Iran. Yet, the underlying menace of his mantra, fuelled by division and disregard for norms, threatens to burn all in its path. 

The world, compelled to endure the erratic thrashings of this corrupt and dangerous leader, must fully grasp the peril. A single impulsive outburst could plunge humanity into an abyss from which there is no return. With each passing day, Trump’s decisions and decrees inch the US and the world perilously closer to the edge of catastrophe. In the face of this wounded and vigilant citizens and leaders across the globe must join forces, raising a unified chorus of condemnation and action against this harbinger of calamity, whose toxic influence threatens to shatter the very pillars of international civil society.

Though many may recoil from the truth, fascism in the vein of Hitler’s regime is starkly manifest in Trump’s America—embodied in its cult of personality, its threats and attacks on those that oppose him, and fervent white nationalism and white supremacy. It even echoes the horrors of concentration camps through detention centres that imprison the innocent, including American citizens swept up by ICE raids.

History bears grim witness to the consequences of inaction against the Nazis in the 1930s, allowing tyranny to fester and engulf the world in flames. To avert a chilling repetition, the global community must rally without delay, bolstering those who seek to excise this malignant figure and his obsequious enablers from power—not merely for America’s redemption, but for the preservation of humanity’s shared future. We must all remember that in the face of rising authoritarianism, silence is complicity, and unity is our greatest weapon against the encroaching darkness.
 

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

PITY THE NATION

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this can be found on Substack.

US attack on Iran, on Israel's behalf, would destabilize the Middle-East and lead to a wider war

At the heart of current Iranian regime change attempt lie decades of effort by the US and Israel to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

As the world watches to see if Donald Trump will make good on his threats against Iran, Western audiences must grasp a crucial reality: Tehran remains the Middle East’s last significant counterweight to Israeli dominance, largely thanks to its unyielding commitment to the Palestinian cause. While many Muslim-majority governments in the region have softened their stance, Iran has offered resolute support to groups resisting Israel’s long-standing occupation, embedding the fight against Israeli expansion as a foundational element of its foreign policy. This defiance squarely confronts Israel's aspirations for regional hegemony, casting Iran as an enduring obstacle in Jerusalem’s strategic playbook. Amid Israel’s growing clout—bolstered by normalization deals with select Arab states and targeted military operations against adversaries—the push for regime change in Tehran, led by the United States and Israel, has only gained momentum.



To understand the geopolitics of the conflict between Iran on one side and Israel and the US on the other, let’s examine the political and historical context which will reveal that Israel functions as the true terrorist state in the region through state-sponsored violence, assassinations, and disproportionate military campaigns against weaker nations and peoples, while the US and Israel combined represent the most dangerous actors in the Middle East, repeatedly destabilizing the region with interventions based on geopolitical ambitions and fabricated pretexts.

The Palestinian struggle remains central to understanding Iran’s isolation and Israel’s animosity towards that nation. Tehran has long provided financial, military, and political support to groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, framing this aid as an “axis of resistance” to Israeli actions in Gaza and the broader occupation in territories where Palestinians want to establish a state. This support contrasts sharply with the shifting stances of Arab nations. Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Kuwait—oil-rich powers with significant financial leverage—have increasingly normalized relations with Israel, effectively abandoning their strong historical support for Palestinians.

The Abraham Accords of 2020 normalized relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, bypassing Palestinian statehood, which these nations had as a condition of normalization for decades prior to the agreement. These treaties have prioritized economic and security issues over Palestinian rights, as evidenced by the apathetic response by these nations to Israel’s genocidal crimes in Gaza since October 2023.

For more than 28 months, as Israel has inflicted unimaginable terror on Palestinians in Gaza, there have been no broad-based sanctions imposed by any Arab nations against Israel despite massive demonstrations by their citizens calling for such action. Diplomatic ties remain intact, unlike actions by some European nations—Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia—which have downgraded diplomatic and economic relations, while several Latin American nations—Bolivia, Belize, Colombia, Chile, Honduras—have severed diplomatic ties or recalled their ambassadors. Moreover, no Arab states have forcefully committed to enforcing International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Israeli leaders for alleged war crimes. This shift underscores a realignment where Middle East Arab capitals view Israel as a counterweight to Iranian influence, rather than an adversary, as has been the case historically. The result is a region where Palestinian freedom and rights are sidelined, allowing Israel freer rein to pursue its hegemonic agenda.

The ongoing efforts to destabilize Iran’s government stem from decades of US and Israeli pressure aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic. Nationwide protests that erupted in late December 2025—sparked by runaway inflation and severe economic hardship exacerbated by long-standing U.S.-led sanctions—quickly escalated into widespread demands for political change.

Iranian authorities have consistently blamed the unrest on foreign interference, accusing the CIA and Israel’s Mossad of orchestrating and arming demonstrators to sow chaos. Tehran has pointed to reported Israeli intelligence operations that have targeted and degraded Iranian-backed militias across the Middle East in recent years as evidence of broader destabilization efforts.

Compounding these tensions, the Trump administration has significantly bolstered US military presence in the region since early 2026, deploying two aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and other assets while issuing threats of targeted strikes. This buildup aligns closely with Israel’s long-standing objective of confronting Iran’s government more decisively, raising the spectre of coordinated action that could result in the downfall of the current Iranian leadership.

The US push for confrontation with Iran stems largely from decades of sustained Israeli influence via powerful pro-Israel lobby groups. Organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have long shaped US policy toward Iran, portraying it as an existential threat to steer decisions in Israel’s favour. Critics argue this lobby diverts US foreign policy from pursuing America’s own national interests, as seen in the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the imposition of broad based sanctions, which Israel had called for, even though the agreement was effectively controlling Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Despite claims by pro-Israel voices that war would benefit both nations, history suggests otherwise. A military conflict with Iran could mirror the Iraq War’s aftermath, which resulted in widespread destabilization, sectarian violence, and the rise of extremist groups hostile to the US. The 2003 US invasion of Iraq, launched on fabricated claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, unleashed widespread chaos across the Middle East, claiming hundreds of thousands of innocent lives and costing trillions of dollars.

This catastrophic precedent casts a long shadow over any prospective US attack on Iran, which risks igniting proxy conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and beyond, further fracturing an already fragile region. The current rhetoric mirrors the pretexts used for launching the Iraq war—manufactured threats used to justify American aggression in violation of the UN Charter and international law. Today, Israeli and American narratives cast Iran as an imminent nuclear danger, despite its adherence to rigorous international inspections under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA—Iran nuclear deal), until the US unilaterally withdrew from it due to pressure from Israel.

Such portrayals invert the true dynamics of regional threats. Far from the aggressor depicted by the US and Israel, Iran has acted predominantly in self-defence, responding to external encroachments rather than launching them. Tehran has not invaded a neighbouring nation in over two centuries—unlike Israel, which has initiated multiple wars against its neighbours since it was created in 1948. Iran’s backing of proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria stems from a perceived encirclement by the US military and Israeli belligerence and provocation.

By contrast, the US and Israel have a documented history of attacking other nations based on false pretenses. Prime examples include the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that overthrew Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh to protect the interests of Western oil companies, installing the Shah and planting seeds of enduring anti-American resentment, and Israel’s 1956 attack on Egypt, in conjunction with the UK and France, which caused the Suez Crisis and nearly brought the US and the Soviet Union into direct nuclear conflict.

For decades, US and Israeli military and covert operations have served as primary drivers of instability across the Middle East and beyond. The US invasions of Afghanistan in 2001, Iraq in 2003, and the “war on terror” fuelled sectarian violence, empowered extremist groups like ISIS, resulted in over four million of deaths, and drained trillions from the US treasury. Subsequent interventions in Libya in 2011 and support for Syrian rebels in the Syrian Civil War fragmented states, resulted in power vacuums exploited by radical elements, and created failed states.

Israel has similarly escalated tensions and created regional instability through acts such as the 1967 pre-emptive strikes in the Six Day War that seized territories from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria; the 1982 invasion and years-long occupation of southern Lebanon that gave rise to Hezbollah; and repeated attacks on Gaza, including Cast Lead (2008-2009) and Protective Edge (2014), and now the current genocidal campaign, which have caused tens of thousands of deaths and deepened Palestinian hardship. These military operations have displaced millions of Palestinians, inflamed anti-Western and anti-Israel sentiments, and sustained cycles of violence. In this context, it is Israel that emerges as the one employing terrorism—through settler violence, targeted assassinations of Palestinian leaders, and disproportionate military force. In comparison, Iran’s action are responses to Israeli and American aggression, and remain overwhelmingly reactive.

This pattern of hostility towards Iran has unfolded through sustained economic sabotage, targeted assassinations, and cyber warfare. During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, US intelligence enabled Iraq’s chemical attacks on Iranian forces, prolonging the conflict and causing more than 600,000 Iranian casualties. In 2010, the US and Israel deployed the Stuxnet virus to destroy Iranian nuclear centrifuges and delay the program. Israel has repeatedly assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists, including the 2025 strikes that killed prominent figures like Fereydoun Abbasi. Additionally, the 2020 US drone strike that eliminated General Qasem Soleimani was perceived in Tehran as an act of war, as did Israeli airstrikes in Syria that targetted the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

These acts of Israeli aggression have destabilized the Middle East far more profoundly than Iran’s defensive measures ever have. A direct US attack on Iran would compound these risks, and potentially trigger broad proxy wars, massive refugee crises, disruptions to global oil supplies resulting in economic chaos, and accelerate the rise of nuclear proliferation risks.

Compounding this aggression is the stark nuclear disparity that exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of the threats against Iran. The US, a declared nuclear superpower with a vast arsenal, stands alongside Israel, which maintains an undeclared stockpile estimated at around 90 warheads (with fissile material sufficient for potentially another 300 more weapons), while refusing international inspections or transparency. Yet these two nuclear-armed states fabricate pretexts to attack non-nuclear Iran, which has historically complied with rigorous international inspections under the JCPOA—until the US withdrawal from the agreement undermined it and escalated tensions. Israel’s policy of refusing to cooperate with the International Nuclear Energy Agency, combined with the overwhelming American stockpile, creates a profound imbalance that poses a far greater risk to global peace than Iran’s nuclear program, which was in response to the threat from Israel, and has never produced a functional nuclear warhead.

Decades of crushing US sanctions have further deepened Iran’s economic turmoil, employing a familiar playbook to weaken Iran and pave the way for potential change. Reimposed in 2018, these measures have frozen Iran’s oil revenues, seized assets, and driven inflation above 40%, with food prices surging over 57% in recent periods—exacerbating shortages and hardship for ordinary Iranians. These policies have eroded Iran’s middle class by an average of 17 percentage points annually in earlier sanction waves (2012–2019), undoing decades of social and economic progress and pushing millions into vulnerability. While the late 2025 protests across the country stemmed from genuine domestic grievances against the theocratic government—fuelled by economic collapse, currency devaluation, and governance failures—Iranian officials have alleged involvement by external actors (Mossad and the CIA) arming demonstrators, with claims of capturing over 3,000 agents and seizing 60,000 weapons as evidence of orchestrated foreign interference.

Additionally, Israel’s persistent espionage against the United States, going back to the 1960s, further erodes any pretense of an unblemished alliance between the two nations. Despite receiving tens of billions of dollars in US aid Israel has engaged in aggressive spying against the US, more than any other ally. High-profile cases, such as the Apollo Affair involving theft of nuclear material, and Jonathan Pollard’s theft of classified nuclear documents, underscore this pattern of betrayal. When combined with Israel’s history of promoting actions based on fabricated and exaggerated intelligence—like its pivotal role in advancing the false 2003 Iraq WMD claims—these actions reinforce the view that the US and Israel, rather than Iran, are the primary forces destabilizing the Middle East.

In contrast, Iran’s authoritarianism and misogynistic policies notwithstanding, its foreign policy has been reactive. It has never attacked or occupied neighbours’ territories, focussing instead on deterrence against invasions, like the 1980-88 Iraq War which led by the US. Additionally, recent escalations, such as the 2025 unprovoked Israeli and US attack on Iran, show Iran’s restraint to avoid full war, given geographic and strategic constraints. In this scenario, pursuing regime change risks unleashing chaos akin to post-Saddam Iraq, empowering radicals.

Ultimately, the relentless push for confrontation with Iran primarily advances Israeli strategic goals while imposing heavy costs on the United States—perpetuating a vicious cycle of violence, economic drain, and regional chaos that threatens the lives of millions across the Middle East.

If any powers truly endanger peace in the region and beyond, it is the United States and Israel, whose repeated interventions, covert operations, and aggressive postures have fuelled discord across the Middle East for years. Genuine stability demands confronting the core injustice that fuels anti-Israel and anti-American sentiments—the denial of Palestinian rights and self-determination—rather than manufacturing existential threats to rationalize further military action.

History has repeatedly shown that military interventions in the Middle East—particularly those involving the United States and Israel—tend to generate deeper resentment and instability, undermine long-term security for all parties, and inflict devastating suffering on civilian populations.

Any American and Israeli military action against Iran now carries the grave risk of igniting a prolonged regional war that could pull in adjacent Arab nations. Such a conflict could rapidly expand through proxy battles across multiple fronts, trigger severe disruptions to global energy markets, unleash massive waves of refugees, and heighten the dangers of nuclear proliferation—ultimately exacting a human and strategic toll far exceeding any short-term tactical advantages the U.S. and Israel might hope to achieve.

In the end, the pursuit of dominance through force risks not victory, but a legacy of enduring instability and destruction that could haunt the region—and the world—for generations.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.