TEHRAN BLEEDS GULF, NOT ISRAEL

HISTORY’S wisest voices have always warned of war’s hidden poison.

- PRABHU CHAWLA

“War is hell,” American General William Sherman declared; yet, leaders still chase glory in its flames. Today, in the smoke of the West Asian cataclysm, those ancient cautions resonate with chilling urgency. As the US-Israeli campaign against Iran enters its third week, one unyielding verity emerges with stark clarity. Tehran has deliberately chosen restraint toward Israel and ferocity towards its Arab neighbours.This calculated asymmetry is no mere tactical footnote. It unveils the regime’s authentic objective. Rather than matching Israel strike for strike in pursuit of decisive military damage, Iran has unleashed thousands of missiles and drones upon the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Only a modest fraction has been directed at the Jewish state.

This stark disparity has ignited profound interrogations about Iran’s genuine strategic aim. Is Tehran truly fixated on Israel? Or does its intent lie in eviscerating the Sunni Arab economies that sustain America’s regional dominance? The Shia-Sunni schism, carved deep by decades of rivalry, may illuminate the choice. And why have the Arab states, despite enduring the brunt of this onslaught, refrained from direct retaliation? Ramadan has now concluded. Some analysts speculate whether a post-Eid counteroffensive might yet materialise.

The war’s inaugural salvos proved mercilessly effective. On February 28, US and Israeli forces eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with Iran’s political-military aristocracy.