- It goes without saying that the global community has breached the stage of hoping that the joint US/Israel operation on Iran would cease forthwith. What was initially thought of as a few days of pounding, eventually leading to Tehran submissively following the diktat of Donald Trump, has paved the way for rising concerns. The spectacular counterattacking against the neighbouringGulf countries by the Iranian leadership has disproved the notion of meek surrender. The admirable resilience shown by the Iranian leadership must be grudgingly accepted by the experts and the opposing nations alike. However, the gas and oil short supply has ensured the heating up of the much-needed energy requirements around the world on expected lines.
PC: NPR
- What’s the way forward to ensure the madness on display comes to a standstill sooner rather than later? Trump must make sure Israel and Iran stop targeting West Asia’s energy fields forthwith. In this backdrop, Trump’s sharp reaction to Israel’s latest strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field – and Tehran’s swift retaliation against Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub – captured a moment when world energy markets and supplies teetered close to disaster. These recent hits are not peripheral targets. Ras Laffan underpins roughly a fifth of global LNG supply. South Pars is the world’s largest gas field, jointly shared by Iran and Qatar. What we are witnessing, then, is not merely escalation – it is weaponization of the global energy system. Markets have responded accordingly.
PC: Times Kuwait
- Worryingly, oil prices have surged close to the $120 mark, reflecting not just supply anxiety, but a deeper fear: that the Persian Gulf, the beating heart of global energy flows, is becoming an active battlefield. Expectedly, Trump sought to distance Washington from the immediate trigger, insisting the US was not informed of Israel’s strike, while simultaneously warning Iran against further retaliation. But, perhaps, beneath this tactical distancing lies a more fundamental divergence. Until now, Washington and Tel Aviv have operated in tandem against Iran – parallel campaigns aligned in execution if not entirely in intent. That alignment now appears strained. Trump is a businessman first, so his objective is transactional and political. Let’s dwelve.
PC: NDTV
- Regime recalibration in Tehran, ideally one pliant to American interests. Israel’s aim is far more absolute – the dismantling of the regime itself. Where Trump seeks leverage, Israel seeks finality. This divergence is beginning to surface in American domestic politics as well. Questions are being raised within Trump’s own base about whether the US is being drawn into a war, not entirely its own. At the same time, Israel appears fully committed, viewing the conflict as a historic opportunity to neutralize Iran decisively. For Tehran, the stakes are existential – promoting a willingness to escalate even at the cost of destabilizing the very energy networks it relies on. That is what makes this moment so perilous when there is no rational restraint. This must stop, now.
