Crime Today News
The world watches in suspended anxiety as the political players in the latest Middle East crisis succumb to their darkest instincts—driven by nationalistic pride, personal ambition, and the enduring trauma of past wars. The result is a combustible mix of military action, rhetorical brinkmanship, and global unease.
For nearly 75 years, Israel has maintained an undeclared, but widely accepted nuclear arsenal, a shield against existential threats. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Shia-dominated Islamic Republic has worked steadily to develop a counterbalance, financing militant proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Two recent flashpoints disrupted the fragile regional equilibrium: Hamas’s October 2022 surprise attack that killed over 1,000 Israelis, and the unexpected collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in late 2024. These events set the stage for a dramatic escalation.
Into this volatile arena strides a newly re-elected US President Donald Trump, driven more by impulse than coherent strategy. His foreign policy goals remain vague, his motivations clearer. Among them, a consuming desire for the Nobel Peace Prize. “They should give me the Nobel Prize for Rwanda… the Congo… Serbia, Kosovo… India and Pakistan. I should’ve gotten it four or five times,” Trump mused aloud.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, seeks not accolades, but vengeance. The 2022 Hamas massacre—bankrolled by Iran—left him resolute. His retaliatory war on Gaza has drawn global condemnation for its genocidal ferocity. With Hezbollah in Lebanon similarly dismantled by Israeli forces, Netanyahu now aims to crush Iran’s nuclear potential. He also has a personal stake: as long as he remains prime minister, he avoids standing trial on longstanding corruption charges.
Israel’s intelligence network detected signs of Iranian retaliation, prompting pre-emptive Israeli strikes on Iranian assets in spring 2025. Sensing an opportunity to reassert dominance, Trump authorized a major American airstrike.
With no congressional approval and only a two-week “study period” as public cover, seven stealth B-2 bombers flew a gruelling 37-hour round-trip to strike Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility buried deep in a mountain. Simultaneously, other high-value Iranian sites were bombed—projecting US might, distracting from domestic unrest, and offering the illusion of a strategic masterstroke.
Except it wasn’t. Leaked reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) concluded that the attacks inflicted limited long-term damage. Iran had apparently foreseen the possibility, relocating enriched uranium and centrifuges in advance. Key components could be rebuilt within months.
Trump, furious about the leaks, was soon flanked by loyal intelligence appointees offering more favourable assessments. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declared: “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed… they would have to rebuild all three sites entirely, which would take years.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe echoed her, citing a “historically reliable” source.
Trump clung to that version. “This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop,” he said, even as his earlier statements admitted the intelligence was “inconclusive”.
For many Trump supporters—especially MAGA-flag-waving Vietnam veterans—this was red-meat heroism. “If Iran tries to get cute, we have the B-2s,” one veteran told me. “If you can’t tell the friendlies from the non-friendlies, kill them all and let God sort them out.”
The 12-day air war ended in a ceasefire with both Iran and Israel declaring it a “victory.” Trump, desperate to control the narrative, appeared before NATO allies in Europe and briefly yielded the stage to his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who dismissed the DIA leak as sabotage. Trump’s reward: NATO members agreed to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP—a long time Trump demand.
But the illusion of success quickly faded. The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed it had “lost visibility” of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile during the hostilities. Director Rafael Grossi told French television: “I don’t want to give the impression that it’s been lost or hidden. Officially… the location is not known.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei resurfaced in a televised address, hailing a “victory” over the US and Israel, downplaying the damage, and reaffirming Iran’s resolve. His appearance quashed rumours about his health and reinforced Iran’s defiance.
In Tehran, the Guardian Council swiftly approved legislation suspending all cooperation with the IAEA. Iran would resume only when given “guarantees” that its nuclear facilities were secure and recognized as peaceful. It was a clear signal: the diplomatic track was now effectively dead.
In Washington, Trump faced a different kind of battlefield. His poll numbers had plunged below 50 percent. Elon Musk’s sweeping layoffs of government workers (with Trump’s blessing) had gutted public services. His ICE policies reignited fears of authoritarianism. And his military birthday parade, intended as a show of strength, was derided as an artistic and logistical failure—overshadowed by mass protests across the country.
Analysts and Democrats alike viewed the Iranian bombing as political theatre. “Trump panicked,” said one foreign correspondent. “He needed to look strong amid falling approval, economic turmoil, and his growing feud with Musk. So he bombed a country we’re not at war with, that posed no immediate threat—without Congressional approval. And he did it while pretending to negotiate, all while our closest ally kills dozens of starving civilians every day in Gaza. It doesn’t get further from the moral high ground than that.”
Trump’s erosion of democratic norms is now near-total. He’s reduced the three branches of US government to “1.5,” sidelining Congress and manipulating the judiciary. Diplomacy, in his world, is about loyalty—not competence. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has zero diplomatic experience.
Whether the strikes on Iran have meaningfully slowed its nuclear programme remains uncertain. What is clear is that Trump has escalated a crisis—militarily and constitutionally—while fuelling instability at home and abroad. As one war ends, another—political and ideological—rages on.
THE FORDOW FACILITY—TARGET BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN
What is Fordow?
Hidden deep beneath the Alborz Mountains near the Iranian city of Qom, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites. Built to withstand aerial bombardment, the underground facility has long been a focal point of Western concern and Israeli intelligence tracking.
Why it matters
Fordow is capable of enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels and had resumed activity after the collapse of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Its location and reinforced structure made it a symbolic and strategic target for both Israel and the United States.
What happened in the strike?
According to the Trump administration, bunker-busting bombs struck Fordow with “devastating” results. But leaked reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) suggest Iran may have evacuated key materials in advance, allowing it to potentially restart enrichment within months.
A turning point?
The attack on Fordow marks a sharp escalation—both militarily and diplomatically. Iran’s retaliatory legislation suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog has effectively killed any prospect of a return to negotiated containment.
—The writer has worked in senior positions at The Washington Post, NBC, ABC and CNN and also consults for several Indian channels
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