Tehran’s all-out war against the West

The Islamic Republic of Iran has responded to the war initiated by the Americans and Israelis with an all-out conflict, which has drawn in most countries in the Middle East. Not only Israel – which sought this war and views it as a matter of survival, and cannot tolerate the existence of a nuclear-armed Iran – but also the Gulf states have been targeted by Tehran, even those that did not have hostile relations with the regime. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan have all been attacked by Iranian missiles and drones – not only at sites hosting American military bases, but also at energy infrastructure vital to their economies. For the regime in Tehran, the response to the United States has always been clear: total war, with no allies spared. The aim is to create exasperation, panic and weariness. Today, the Financial Times published an exclusive in which two sources very close to the regime in Tehran spoke of the Islamic Republic’s plans to strike military targets in Europe should Donald Trump escalate the war. Two targets are mentioned in particular: Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of the Bezmer airbase for refuelling American aircraft, and Cyprus, where a British base was already attacked by a drone in March. But the list could be longer, and NATO has said it is ready to respond.

Trump has received nothing but a string of ‘no’s’ from Tehran, which is determined not to negotiate; the regime is prepared for a protracted war during which it has gambled that it can stun the United States, which, for its part, alternates between periods of intense bombing and then backtracking to negotiate. These steps back have proven ineffective in bringing Iran to the negotiating table; consequently, in a cyclical pattern, the White House chief convinces himself to resume the attacks. We may well be at that point again, especially now that the sixty days he had set as the deadline for reaching a nuclear deal have expired. The regime is therefore preparing itself, stating that the response will not be directed solely against the Americans, but against all their allies, both in the Middle East and in Europe: one of its strongest weapons remains the pressure that these allies can exert on Trump. And the Europeans, unfortunately, have often proved to be the first to allow themselves to be used, saying and repeating the refrain that the American president somewhat deserved, given his lack of understanding of the Russian threat to Ukraine and Europe, but which allies should never have said: ‘This is not our war’. It most certainly is, and not only because Tehran now makes no secret of the fact that it is ready to strike us, but because offensive actions against us – including sabotage, cyber-attacks and military aid to Russia – began some time ago.