TheAxisJournal

The ongoing war in Iran is a critical juncture that has no apparent goals as of yet that have any grounded reasoning. With this there is obviously many ideas as to why the United States has started this war, but the main reasons being nuclear prevention, anti-terrorism, and regime change. Of the three the most likely is regime change in order to remove the biggest opposition to Israel, which is Iran.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that this war helps defeat state sponsored terrorism coming from the Iranian regime, especially in the United States, but this idea is simply untrue. Anyone knowledgeable on the Middle East understands that there is a violent divide between the Shia and Sunni Muslims. This division is important as Iran is one of the only majority Shia countries in the middle east, while its hostile neighbors such as Saudi Arabia are overwhelmingly Sunni. On this point, Iran hasn’t committed any terrorist attacks on American soil and the attacks they have connections to that have killed Americans were almost all on their Mid-East enemy’s soil, as stated in The Hill article on Iran’s attacks on the US (The Hill).

The split between Shia and Sunni causes concern, as it demonstrates the hidden motives behind this war. In fact, the countries of Sunni populations often have the most terrorist attacks on the US homeland, such as many of the hijackers on 9/11 that were Sunni Saudis.

The recent terrorist attacks on The Temple Israel synagogue in Michigan and the failed bombing in New York were said to be inspired by ISIS which may urge the public to support the war in Iran to dispel any future terrorist actions. However, ISIS is a Sunni group and often commits attacks against Iran and other Shia regions such as the Kerman bombings in January 2024.

The polarization and grouping of Muslims into one without acknowledging the difference between the Shia and Sunni will result in the destabilizing of the middle east and allow for Israel and the United States to take control of the region. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing, the implications of this reality will usher in the Likud Party’s long sought after Greater Israel

Netanyahu and much of the other Israeli right within the Likud Party have expressed their aspirations for a greater Israel, and this war in Iran would be the first step. Preventing Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities will allow Israel to do what they please in the region as there is no check on their actions. In concordance with this idea, taking out Iran would mean taking out the biggest power in the middle east with a population of 90 million people. As a result, the Iran backed Hezbollah would be left with little power to combat the annexation of Gaza, west bank, and the Golan heights area.

If Iran is unable to defend itself, then there is no limit to the expansionist right of the Israeli government. This idea is mainly garnered by the Likud Party; therefore the power of the Israeli government is virtually unchecked with Netanyahu in power. One must determine what the true motives are in this war, and the fog of war is heavy making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood.

We must focus on the specific details and effects of this conflict to determine the right course of action.