“President Trump has also been very consistent. Crazy regimes like Iran, hell-bent upon Islamic delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons. It is common sense,” Marco Rubio, video clip posted on X by Thomas Keith.

“Well, they certainly can be bombed. The level of effect would vary with who it is that carries it out, what ordnance they have, and what capability they can bring to bear,”—General David Petraeus, former head of US Central Command, replied when CNN asked about the vulnerability of Iran’s nuclear installations [10 January 2010].

A sweeping and brutal military onslaught launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has thrust the Middle East into a new era of direct conflict, with profound and perilous ramifications for global peace and economic stability.

On 28 February 2026, joint US and Israeli forces initiated coordinated strikes deep inside Iranian territory, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and targeting Iran’s military infrastructure in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US officials described as a necessary offensive against “imminent threats.”

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities and US military bases across the Gulf, escalating violence into a region-wide war, which, until the time of writing, continues unabated, also involving fights in Beirut between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

The latest phase of confrontation in the Middle East has crossed a dangerous threshold. What began as calibrated shadow hostilities has now unfolded into direct and devastating military assaults, with the United States firmly backing Israel’s expanded strikes deep inside Iranian territory and also using its forces on the ground, in the air, and at sea.

The consequences of joint US-Israeli attacks are no longer confined to Tehran, Tel Aviv, or Washington. They are reverberating across oil markets, shipping lanes, financial systems, and diplomatic corridors, threatening not merely regional stability but world peace and the fragile equilibrium of the global economy.

Israeli forces, with overt American logistical, intelligence, and strategic support, have intensified attacks targeting Iran’s military installations, missile infrastructure, nuclear-linked facilities, and many civilians. Washington has justified its backing under the familiar language of deterrence and pre-emption, arguing that the strikes aim to neutralise imminent threats.

Tehran, however, has responded with missile and drone attacks, declaring the assault an act of war and vowing sustained retaliation. The exchange has transformed what was once proxy conflict into confrontation between two heavily armed states, with the United States positioned on one side without furnishing any credible evidence of an “imminent threat.”

A disruption in Gulf energy exports does not remain a regional problem; it cascades into supply chains, manufacturing costs, and household budgets thousands of miles away. Inflationary spikes

A disruption in Gulf energy exports does not remain a regional problem; it cascades into supply chains, manufacturing costs, and household budgets thousands of miles away. Inflationary spikes

The........

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