U.S.-Israel Strike Iran, World Divided

United States and Israel launched joint strikes upon Iran on Saturday, targeting locations of senior political and military officials.

According to reports, numerous explosions were heard across Iran capital where offices of the senior political and military functionaries are located.

Iran, on its part, also launched retaliatory strikes on Israel, according to media reports quoting Israeli military.

U.S. President Donald Trump, called the strikes, being named a ‘Operation Epic Fury’ as ‘major combat operations’ with an objective to eliminate the possibility of Tehran’s effort for nuclear weapons. Trump asked the people of Iran to ‘seize control of your destiny’. According to reports, Trump has asked the Iran military to surrender or face ‘certain death’.

In response to the joint strike of the U.S. and Israel, Iran launched retaliatory attacks throughout Middle-East in Doha and other cities. Iran also launched missile strikes on Bahrain, where the US has a major naval base.

Trump urged the Iranians to ‘take over’ the government, saying that “this will be probably your only chance for generations”.

Iran activist leader, the exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, asked the people to be vigilant and said that the situation is a decisive moment. “The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived.” Pahlavi has said in a message.

However, U.S.’s Former Under Secretary of Defense, Robert Wilkie, on news channel Newsmax, analysing what the ‘Operation Epic Fury’ means, said, according to media reports that if ‘you take out Iran regime and you have altered the balance of power not just in the Middle-East, but this impacts Russia and its supplies to fight the Ukrainians; this impacts China because it loses its outpost in the Middle-east’.

Attack Alters Balance of Power in the Middle-East

Wilkie was previously Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from November 2017 to July 2018. A Naval intelligence officer in the Reserve, he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs in the administration of President George W. Bush.

War Divides the World

The U.S.-Israel attack on Israel has divided the world into two clear camps, some supporting the action while other opposing, while some countries sought immediate discussion on the subject in the United Nations.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the issue as it has "serious consequences" for international peace and security. "The current escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop. The Iranian regime must understand that it now has no other option but to engage in good-faith negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its actions to destabilize the region," Macron said on X. However, Macron also has said that the Iranian people must be able to freely build their future.

Saudi Arabia and Canada stand with the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran. Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that his country supported the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.

Australia also backed the U.S.-Israel action. United Kingdom and Germany also joined France and condemned Iran’s retaliatory action of the U.S.-Israel strikes.

Ukraine Cautious

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenski, cautious with his words, has said that it was important that Washington acted decisively, but also that hostilities did not escalate into a wider war.

Zelenski clearly had the Ukraine-Russia war in his mind, Russia being an ally of Iran, and standing against the U.S.-Israel strikes.

Russia-China Condemn War

Russia condemned the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, terming it as “a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state”. It also demanded an immediate halt military action of the U.S.-Israel and return to diplomatic recourse. Moscow has said that the U.S. wants to change Iran regime.

Reports suggested that China was concerned over the military strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel over Iran.

Until a few days back, U.S.-Iran were engaged in diplomatic negotiations to sort out the issue of Iran nuclear programme. But the latest talks that had concluded a few days back, had yielded no results.

Oman, the country which was playing mediator in the negotiations too expressed its opinion on the latest war. “I am dismayed," Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, said in a post on the social media. "Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” the Oman Minister stated, advising the United States that ‘this is not your war’.

Middle-East Volatile

The Middle-East is under extreme tension and the situation is very volatile now.

Pakistan-Afghanistan War too has begun, and the United States has clarified that it stands by Pakistan, saying that Pakistan has its right to defend itself.

Pakistan had attacked Afghanistan capital Kabul in retaliation to reported strikes by Taliban Afghan on military posts of Pakistan at the borders of the two neighbours.

Past conflict between the U.S.-Afghanistan is well-known. Pakistan is on logger-head with Afghanistan now, U.S. stands by it in its action against Afghanistan.

Incidentally, all the three nations—Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran share borders, even as India, an arch rival of Pakistan, shares a sensitive border with Pakistan.

Israel Bans Public Gatherings

Following the war, public gatherings have been banned in Israel and educational institutions shut. A state of emergency has been declared across the country and the Israelis have been warned of possible Iranian missile attacks.