Iran out in the cold as Mideast unites on Gaza truce

As the Middle East broadly welcomes a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, Iran finds itself at one of its weakest moments since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

- By Jon GAMBRELL

FATEMEH BAHRAMI Anadolu IN TEHRAN, people gather after Friday prayers to show support for Gazans.

Tehran has operated its self-described “axis of resistance” over several decades, supporting militant groups and nations allied with it against Israel and the United States. But as Israel bombed the Gaza Strip, it also turned its crosshairs toward top leaders abroad in groups such as Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and even the top echelon within Iran's military and its nuclear program — killing many and disrupting their ability to fight back.

As President Trump arrives in the Middle East for a visit that will probably see him praised by Israel and Arab nations, Iran won't be at the table as it still struggles to recover from June’s 12-day war.

How Tehran’s theocracy responds in the weeks and months ahead, whether that means lashing out or trying to rebuild its hobbled economy at home, will be crucial.

“Undoubtedly this is not a proud moment for Iran,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group. “Its alliance system in the region is in ruins but it doesn’t mean that the ‘axis of resistance’ is no more.”

An acute fear of Israeli strikes

Iranian state media have sought to describe the Gaza ceasefire as a victory for Hamas, despite the war destroying the Gaza Strip and killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Iran’s Foreign Ministry welcomed “any decision... that guarantees halting the genocide of Palestinians.”

Perhaps more tellingly, an advisor to Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggested the ceasefire would lead only to conflict elsewhere in the region.