This was not inevitable. This is a war Israel chose. It could have been prevented. Diplomatic talks were ongoing when the bombers took off for Iran. Israel’s continuing, illegal, unjustified airstrikes are unlikely to achieve their stated aim – permanently ending Tehran’s presumed efforts to build nuclear weapons – and may accelerate it. They must stop now. Likewise, Iran must halt its retaliation immediately and drop its escalatory threats to attack US and UK bases.
This conflict is not limited, as was the case last year, to tit-for-tat exchanges and “precision strikes” on a narrow range of military targets. It’s reached a wholly different level. Potentially nothing is off the table. Civilians are being killed on both sides. Leaders are targets. The rhetoric is out of control. With Israel fighting on several fronts, and Iran’s battered regime backed against a wall, the Middle East is closer than ever to a disastrous conflagration.
Reasons can always be found to go to war. The roots of major conflicts often reach back decades – and this is true of the Israel-Iran vendetta, which dates to the 1979 Islamic revolution. The so-called “shadow war” between the two intensified in recent years. Yet all-out conflict had been avoided, until now. So who is principally to blame for this sudden, unprecedented explosion?
Answer: three angry old men whose behaviour raises serious doubts about their judgment, common sense, motives and even their sanity.
Khamenei maybe an angry old man considering his country is facing an existential threat but Netanyahu is a wanted war criminal and Trump is a rapist with nefarious ties to the notorious Epstein
In any other country, Khamenei would be considered a pedophile.
You know, the whole marrying children business.
damn they just pretend the UK is not the country that fuel Jets over Iraq to facilitate the bombing. Or it is not the UK base in Cyprus and vessels that provide a command center and communication tool to facilitate the mission.
If you want to attack Iran and accelerate to a wwiii don’t shy from telling the truth about your involvement, we know it, you know it …
Trust The Guardian to “both-sides” a blatant war of aggression and just completely fail to mention the massive genocide Israel is carrying out.
The Zygon Inversion - A Transcript of The Doctor’s Speech [edited for brevity]
The Doctor: You just want cruelty to beget cruelty. You’re not superior to people who were cruel to you. You’re just a whole bunch of new cruel people. A whole bunch of new cruel people, being cruel to some other people, who’ll end up being cruel to you. The only way anyone can live in peace is if they’re prepared to forgive. Why don’t you break the cycle?
Bonnie: Why should we?
The Doctor: What is it that you actually want?
Bonnie: War.
The Doctor: Ah. And when this war is over, when – when you have the homeland free from humans, what do you think it’s going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you’re very close to getting what you want. What’s it going to be like? Paint me a picture. Are you going to live in houses? Do you want people to go to work? What’ll be holidays? Oh! Will there be music? Do you think people will be allowed to play violins? Who will make the violins? Well? Oh, You don’t actually know, do you? Because, just like every other tantruming child in history, Bonnie, you don’t actually know what you want. So, let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you’ve killed all the bad guys, and it’s all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers. How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?
. . .
The Doctor: This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought right there in front of you. Because it’s always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who’s going to die. You don’t know who’s children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does what they’re always going to have to do from the very beginning – sit down and talk! Listen to me, listen. I just – I just want you to think. Do you know what thinking is? It’s just a fancy word for changing your mind.
False equivalencies.
Putin has a day off?
He’s too busy begging these three for help.
Angry old men … ruling the biggest countries in the world … and all of them not caring what they are going to do or not do because they’re going to be dead or senile or incapable to do anything within the next ten years.
blaming the top government officials only is stupid. Thet completelyignore that they got voted in and have majority support among their population. At least Iran has less of a choice, and even then was negotiating a deal and agreed to one in the past!
Great man theory nonsense. Was Netanyahu in power during the Sabra and Shatila massacre? During the Nakba? During the June 1967 war? Was Trump president when the US invaded Iraq? Was he president when the US sent billions of dollars in military aid to Israel to commit their genocide with? It’s the countries, not the leaders. They’re just the personification of a system. You could shoot each of these men in the head today, and nothing would change.
Trump, definitely. He’s at least too dumb to be evil effectively, I shudder to think where Vance would take things if he decides to keep the MAGA line going.
Netanyahu dying would lead to a collapse of his government and a more moderate faction coming to power and probably ending the wars… for now.
I know less about the internal politics of Iran, although this war they didn’t start obviously wouldn’t end.
There is broad support in Israeli society for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. There are polls showing as much (I think one of them showed a rate of 82%). This is not one man’s whim, this is not the will of some small shady elite, this is a consequence of material conditions in Israel. If you don’t take those away, some other face will lead the charge.
Plus I’m not convinced that an assassination of Netanyahu would lead to a different party taking charge. I can’t imagine their system of governance is set up this way. But this is entirely beside the point. The point is that one man’s death doesn’t change history. The allies didn’t win WWII because Hitler killed himself, Hitler killed himself because the allies won WWII.
There is broad support in Israeli society for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. There are polls showing as much (I think one of them showed a rate of 82%).
I did say “for now”.
I’m guessing “genocide” wasn’t in the wording of the poll question, but a two-state solution is just as fringe as a one state solution at this point. The vibe of the average Israeli is that they want Palestinians gone and don’t want to talk or even think about how.
Plus I’m not convinced that an assassination of Netanyahu would lead to a different party taking charge. I can’t imagine their system of governance is set up this way.
How much do you know about the system?
It’s a party list parliament with a pretty high degree of political fragmentation, comparable to the Netherlands. Netanyahu started with a slim majority propped up by the far-right parties, and his party has polled poorly since they let Oct 7 happen. Security was his main thing. He’s globally famous for his skill holding together coalitions, which he couldn’t do while dead, and it’s pretty typical to hold snap elections after something like that anyway. His successor also wouldn’t need to worry about being thrown in jail for corruption the moment they’re out of office.
But this is entirely beside the point. The point is that one man’s death doesn’t change history. The allies didn’t win WWII because Hitler killed himself, Hitler killed himself because the allies won WWII.
Great man theory is indeed dumb, but “leaders don’t change anything even in the short term” is too far in the other direction.
What an insanely stupid article. Israel bombs Iran completely unprovoked. Khamenei and Iran are incredibly responsible and measured in their response. Meanwhile Israel is flailing around like a wild bully with their American big brother behind its back, threatening Iran that they are not allowed to strike back
And the liberals from TheGuardian write a both sides article about it as if all parties share blame.
If Israel has a right to defend itself, what does (still awful government of) Iran have?
I guess blaming Netanyahu and Trump only would have lead to too much blowback. The Guardian really doesn’t seem like it’s the same anymore.
The Ayatollah regime that has been building and funding terrorist proxies for years, that has a bloody countdown timer for the destruction of Israel in the middle it Tehran? The same regime who is, pretty obviously, rushing toward military nuclear capabilities in order to fulfill said countdown? You’re saying that they haven’t provoked Israel?
And you really think that firing drones and ballistic missiles at civilian populations is a measured response?
Fuck off with that bullshit.
Cool whataboutisms. Yes, Iran is shitty. No, Israel didn’t have to do this. Yes, it’s a great strategy to regain support for the Likud coalition government and not go to prison for corruption.
And you really think that firing drones and ballistic missiles at civilian populations is a measured response?
Pardon, which county are we talking about here?
Iran at least has the excuse that their missiles can’t aim that well.
you know it’s bad when western MSM is both-siding it
This freaking assholes are going to do the thing that the last string of Putin’s morality didnt allow him to do and give a white card to any future psycopath to use nuclear weapons.
Russia and the USA created this monsters. We need to deweaponize the fuck out of all of them before it is to late.
And Putin (72), and Xi Jing Ping (72)
Lol. What about the millions that got them into office in the first place? It’s not a gender issue. It’s a human nature one - acting out their insecurities by lashing out at the perceived enemy.
The thing is, there are people who need to be killed, and we just can’t agree on who. And the people who say no one are the worst of all. Let’s make some progress in this world.
I think many people learned the wrong lesson from GWB’s Iraq War. It was presented as (among other things) a way to stop an enemy of the USA from obtaining nuclear weapons and it was a mistake, so they conclude that using force to stop enemies of the USA from obtaining nuclear weapons is a mistake. However, using force (if necessary) to stop enemies of the USA from obtaining nuclear weapons is a prudent idea and the problem with that Iraq War was that it was not actually fought for that purpose. GWB was the boy who cried wolf but real wolves still exist.
Why should Israel have nuclear weapons but not Iran?
Israel is an ally of the USA but Iran is violently hostile to the USA.
Imagine arguing that people thinking you shouldn’t launch unprovoked wars of aggression, is a bad thing
