Abhishek Vij
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump issued a statement asserting that the United States would extricate itself from the conflict with Iran within two or three weeks. However, while addressing the American public on Thursday—true to his characteristic style—he completely reversed the statement he had made just a day earlier. In his address, Trump remarked that while the First World War lasted for over a year and a half, and the Second World War dragged on for more than three and a half years, the US has effectively achieved victory over Iran in a mere 32 days.
He claimed that Iran’s leadership—ranging from its political authorities to its Air Force, Navy, and missile capabilities—has been completely neutralized. He warned that if Iran still refuses to reach a settlement, it will be hurled back into the Stone Age within two to three weeks. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, he stated that it is not America’s concern; the US sources only two percent of its crude oil from that region. He suggested that the nations that rely on that route for their oil supplies should look out for their own interests.
The underlying context is that virtually every nation—from NATO allies to European countries—had refused to join forces for this senseless conflict or to assist in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. However, in the wake of this decision, Britain has now convened a meeting of the 35 nations that utilize the Strait of Hormuz. These nations will collectively determine how to address this crisis. Meanwhile, Iran has already declared that there are no restrictions on the use of this route for nations that are not allied with the United States. It remains to be seen, however, to what extent Iran will actually adhere to this pledge.
In our view, these 35 nations should hold a dialogue with Iran to find a resolution to this crisis. This is particularly pertinent given the significant decline in President Trump’s popularity within the United States; his approval rating has plummeted to 33 percent—down from 40 percent just last week. Indeed, two-thirds of the American public now desires that Trump bring this war to an immediate end. Trump, too, delivered a boastful speech with the sole intention of appeasing such people. In response, Iran has declared that—although they had previously stated that they would cease hostilities if the U.S. did the same—their current stance is that the war will end only after America has been brought to its knees.
America is issuing nothing but hollow threats. Following such acrimonious rhetoric, it is evident that peace remains a distant dream. Sources indicate that the U.S. is now planning to wage an intense 21-day war, which may involve the deployment of ground forces.
In light of this, the U.S. has already dispatched trained commandos to Iran. Indeed, for the sake of humanity, there could be no greater tragedy than a boastful president—intoxicated by the arrogance of his military might—destabilizing the global economic equilibrium. The global fallout from Trump’s speech was such that crude oil prices—which had dipped on Wednesday—surged once again immediately after his address. Within the U.S. itself, prices shot up to $104 per barrel, while on the global market, they reached $106.
The global stock markets, which had shown signs of recovery on Wednesday, crashed once again on Thursday. Investors saw trillions of rupees in capital wiped out. Concurrently, we are hurtling toward yet another tragedy. This concerns the 25 million migrant workers—the majority of whom are Indian nationals—who were employed across the Gulf nations prior to the outbreak of hostilities. A horrific war has now become their grim reality. Should they choose to return home, they will face a severe employment crisis; conversely, if they are unable to leave, a brutal war appears to be the inescapable future awaiting them.