Jun 10, 2026 12:06 pm IST

Opinion | America Has Never, Ever Looked This Humiliated: The Story Of A Superpower's Fall

America was not this weak until recently; in fact, it was riding high. Then it chose to make all the wrong choices, and turned into a superpower no one takes seriously anymore.

Naresh Kaushik Naresh Kaushik Columnist

Naresh Kaushik Columnist

Iran on Tuesday shot down a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Trump to say that America must, out of necessity, respond to the attack. His statement on Truth Social suggests caution rather than a boast about America's power and dominance, which he is more accustomed to. He had shown similar caution last weekend after Iran fired missiles at Israel, threatening both the precarious ceasefire and the deal Washington and Tehran have been negotiating to end the war. Trump pleaded with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, not to strike back at Iran. But the latter simply ignored him. This is the new reality 100 days after Trump joined Netanyahu's war against Iran. The leader of the so-called free world looks weak and humbled, and the power of the United States appears to have reached its limits, at least in West Asia.

Before the war, it was inconceivable that Iran would threaten Israel over its actions in Lebanon and then carry out that threat without fear of a US response. Iran's policy had been what it called "strategic patience". But its new leadership seems to believe that restraint is a sign of weakness. The cautious Ayatollah Khamenei, under whose leadership the policy of restraint was last seen during the 12-day war in 2025, is no longer alive. His son, Mojtaba, the new leader, has given full backing to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for an uncompromising, tough approach.

A week ago, Tehran warned Israel of missile strikes if it continued bombing Lebanon, particularly if the southern outskirts of the capital, Beirut, were attacked. These areas are the stronghold of Iran's proxy group, Hezbollah. That came after Netanyahu ordered these areas to be bombed. An angry Trump called Netanyahu, shouting, "What the f--- are you doing?" "You're f---ing crazy." Netanyahu paused the attacks, but only for a week. On Sunday, when Israel bombed the Beirut suburbs, Iran responded as it had promised. Defying Trump's pleas, Israel not only struck Iran in retaliation but also targeted one of its petrochemical complexes, threatening further escalation.........

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