A war of attrition
THE US-Israel war on Iran has entered its second week. It has had a devastating effect on the region and beyond. Despite continuous bombing that has targeted both military installations and civilian populations, efforts to make the Islamic Republic surrender have not succeeded. Iran has suffered the loss of its top leadership and significant damage to its military capabilities. But it continues to fight back with unexpected ferocity.
US President Donald Trump’s aspiration for regime change through air power has proved to be unsuccessful as Iran has appointed a new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated head. His selection is viewed as a sign of continuity as well as defiance. Analysts suggest it is unimaginable that someone whose father, mother, wife, sister and son have been killed by the US and Israel would surrender to Trump’s whims. The martyrdom of his father has galvanised public support for Mojtaba Khamenei, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities to celebrate his appointment, defying the ongoing US-Israeli bombings.
As Iran elects a new leader, the US and Israel have intensified their bombings of both military and civilian installations. Israel’s attacks on Iran’s oil infrastructure are believed to have caused long-term environmental damage. Even as Iranians filled the streets to mark the new supreme leader’s appointment, a major oil depot outside Tehran, struck by Israeli warplanes, continued to burn. According to the World Health Organisation chief: “Damage to petroleum facilities in Iran risks contaminating food, water, and air — hazards that can have severe health impacts, especially on children, older people, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions.”
It is evident that the US underestimated Iran’s ability to resist. In a recent statement, Trump claimed the war with Iran would be over “very soon”, but Tehran insists that it will determine the timing. This raises questions about the next steps of a desperate American president and his Israeli ally. Although Trump promised a “short-term excursion”, there are no signs that the conflict will end soon. The longer the war continues, the more challenging it will be for America to extricate itself from the situation.
The longer the war continues, the more difficult it will be for the US to extricate itself from it.
Any attempt by the American president to deploy ground troops will have disastrous consequences. The political and economic costs would be too high, particularly for America’s Gulf allies. The fallout from the conflict has already severely impacted the oil-rich regional countries hosting American military bases. The Gulf nations, whether knowingly or unknowingly, have become part of the US-Israeli agenda and are bearing the brunt of the war’s impact.
Iran’s missile and drone strikes have led to the shutdown of some oil and gas facilities, and the supply of drinking water through desalination plants is now at risk. As the war drags on, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the leaders of the sheikdoms to maintain any semblance of sovereignty and control over their territories. The US-Iran conflict has plunged the region into chaos, and the disruption of oil and gas supplies has raised the spectre of a global economic recession. The spike in oil and gas prices has adversely affected economies worldwide.
Yet the crisis appears to have no impact on Trump’s recklessness. In a message posted on his Truth Social platform recently, he declared that “short-term oil prices … is a very small price to pay for USA, and World, Safety and Peace”. He said that fuel prices would fall rapidly “when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over”. Such hubris has left even America’s allies in shock.
Meanwhile, the increasing rhetoric from Trump’s aides framing the conflict with Iran in religious terms suggests that the US administration seeks to merge military offensives with faith-based messaging. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close associate of President Trump, consistently uses religious terminology in his statements about the war with Iran.
Phrases such as “holy hell” resonate with broader evangelical Christian support for a confrontational Iran policy. The senator has also characterised the conflict as a civilisational clash. This rhetoric was meant to provide a religious justification for America’s imperialist war, representing a dangerous move that exposes Trump’s desperation to justify an illegal and unpopular war.
The US-Iran conflict has raised new questions regarding Trump’s so-called Board of Peace. Just days after the BoP summit meeting in Washington in February, the US, in collaboration with Israel — that also attended the summit — unleashed war on Iran. It is evident that the war plan had already been prepared, even as members discussed post-war restoration plans for Gaza.
This undermines the credibility of the entire BoP initiative and reinforces perceptions that the organisation is being used as a front for Trump’s imperialist agenda. The war has already pushed the Gaza peace plan to the back burner. Pakistan was among the first countries to join the group, despite its controversial structure. Notably, the Board’s charter, launched by Trump during a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in January, did not mention Gaza.
Analysts note that the Board’s mandate essentially assumes a role traditionally performed by the UN. This initiative is a brainchild of the American president, who sees himself as the sole arbiter of the global order. Trump’s war on Iran has exposed the underlying objectives behind the formation of the BoP. A significant question for Pakistan and other member nations is whether they will knowingly become part of the conflict started by the US and Israel.
Over the past year, Pakistan has attempted to reset its relations with the US by flattering Trump, even nominating the warmonger for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a headline in a recent New York Times article stated, ‘Pakistan praised Trump. Now it risks being caught up in his war’. This comment is particularly relevant given the challenges the country faces amid the conflict in the region.
We are already deeply affected by this war, which poses a serious threat to our national security. The situation is worsening as the country grapples with deep economic and political crises, alongside a war on its western border. There is an urgent need to reassess our foreign and security policies, as well as our membership in the Trump-led BoP.
The writer is an author and journalist.
X: @hidhussain
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2026