THERE is expectation that things would move in the right direction after ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war but the key stakeholders are dropping mixed signals in the stepped up information war as part of their strategies to secure their domestic political interests and their global reputation.
It is in this backdrop that despite a series of positive statements emanating from the White House, the situation remains highly fluid creating confusion about plans and goals of the parties concerned.
The announcement of President Donald Trump about US-Iran talks next week and possibility of a breakthrough vis-à-vis Gaza ceasefire have raised prospects for avoiding more bloodshed and resolution of the issues involved through discussions and dialogue but it is the contradictory posture of the United States that creates doubts about real designs, darkening further the pall of smoke that hangs over the Middle East. While hailing the swift end to war between Iran and Israel, President Trump said Washington would likely seek a commitment from Tehran to end its nuclear ambitions at talks with Iranian officials next week. The proposition raises several questions about the US policy on the Iranian nuclear programme, which is highly confused, especially in the backdrop of contradictory claims of the Trump administration and the country’s intelligence agencies both before and after the bombing of the Uranium enrichment plant. Prior to the war, the US intelligence agencies saw no evidence Iran was close to building a bomb but the administration insisted the programme was at advanced stages, necessitating military action.
Now again, the US Defence Intelligence Agency’s initial assessment (of the damage) says Iran’s path to building a nuclear weapon may have been set back only by months but President Trump claims his decision to join Israel’s attacks by targeting Iranian nuclear sites with huge bunker-busting bombs had ended the war, calling it “a victory for everybody”. He termed it ‘obliteration’ of the Iranian nuclear programme, adding the strikes were so swift and effective that Tehran found no time to relocate the already enriched Uranium. Israel’s nuclear agency also assessed the strikes had “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years”. In this backdrop, one may ask why an illegal aggression was carried out against Iran if its programme posed no immediate threats and Tehran was cooperating fully in efforts to find a negotiated settlement of the issue. Secondly, why are you again pushing Iran to make commitments not to build a bomb if its nuclear programme has been obliterated? In fact, aggression by Israel and the United States has strengthened justification for Iran to pursue its nuclear programme as rights and interests including national sovereignty of the weak nations are trampled by the powerful countries at will. There is already an indication that the war has strengthened the resolve of Iran not to forego its legitimate security interests as evident from the law approved by the Iranian parliament to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is, however, important to note that the US President, instead of talking about military solution, is now advocating for a meaningful relationship with Iran to dissuade it from pursuing the nuclear path again. And after getting Iran and Israel to end hostilities, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that progress was being made to end Israel’s war on Gaza, as a new ceasefire push began more than 20 months since the start of the conflict. Qatar and Egypt, which are mediating, have also expressed optimism about the much-needed ceasefire and Hamas too has not ruled out such a possibility. It is, however, to be seen on what terms the ceasefire is going to be achieved in the backdrop of expansionist designs of the Jewish state and desire of President Trump to take control of the territory, remove its people and ‘redevelop’ it. Gazans have massively been wronged and they need a fair treatment.
