When Israel, with the support of the United States, launched unprovoked attacks on Iran, it appeared that Iran would collapse under the strategic might of the US-Israel alliance. Many believed Iran would surrender. But what followed surprised the world. Iran not only withstood the offensive but responded so forcefully that Israel, despite its superior military capabilities, found itself overwhelmed. Regardless of the media's portrayal—true or false—of destruction within Iran, the reality is that the scale of damage Iran inflicted on Israel was beyond what the US and Israel could have anticipated. Ordinary Israeli citizens are now bearing the brunt of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s expansionist policies, with many even struggling to find space in bunkers amid relentless attacks.

But why did this war erupt? Israel claims Iran is building a nuclear bomb—an accusation coming from a country that itself possesses nuclear weapons and is widely condemned for its relentless violence against Palestinians. Let’s not forget how the US made similar claims about Iraq under Saddam Hussein, only to later admit those allegations were baseless and part of a strategy to topple Saddam. The same appears true in Iran’s case. Prior to the attack, even Tulsi Gabbard, head of a key US intelligence panel, had repeatedly stated that Iran neither possessed a nuclear bomb nor the capability to make one. Just two days before the airstrikes, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that Iran was cooperating with international inspections and that there was no evidence of a weapons programme.

These statements carry weight. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which bars signatories from developing nuclear weapons. It has further assured, through agreements with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—namely the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK—that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, a right it retains under international law. In fact, until just days before the strikes, negotiations were ongoing between the US and Iran, and former President Trump himself had described the talks as progressing well.

It is now evident that the nuclear bomb allegation is a smokescreen. The real aim is to seize Iran’s oil reserves, reshape global energy markets, and revive the failing US economy. We all witnessed Trump’s trade war and the embarrassment it caused globally. These strikes serve as a distraction from that failure—a desperate bid to reassert imperialist dominance and convert the globe into a hunting ground for profiteering. It's a crude attempt to create a lawless world order where imperialist forces can plunder the planet’s resources with impunity.

However, history shows that imperialism has never achieved lasting dominance. Vietnam stood up to it. Cuba resisted. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the onset of a unipolar world, America’s imperial ambitions have remained unfulfilled—and they will continue to be challenged. Even the smallest resistance to exploitation has proven powerful, because human civilization progresses by breaking the chains of colonialism, not by submitting to them.

But where does India stand in this rapidly evolving world order?

There was a time when India was the voice of the oppressed and exploited. A time when India stood firmly in support of Palestine. Today, that voice has fallen silent. Under pressure from the US, India abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution demanding an end to Israel’s assault on Palestine—even as countries like Britain, Canada, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and all member nations of SAARC, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation voted in favour of a ceasefire. The Modi government has distanced itself from the peace-loving global community.

This is the first government in independent India’s history to suppress pro-Palestine demonstrations and arrest citizens who stood in solidarity. The current regime appears to regard Palestine as an enemy nation—an unprecedented shift in India’s foreign policy.

The same silence marks India’s stance on the Iran-Israel conflict. Iran has long been a traditional friend, supporting India through difficult times, including on the Kashmir issue. Yet, Indians now watch with shame as their country tacitly sides with the US-Israel alliance. This policy stance is also an insult to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, without whose legacy Narendra Modi could not have ascended to the highest office. Modi’s government has turned India’s historic policy of non-alignment into one defined by anti-Muslim posturing.

This marks a dangerous decline in Indian politics on the world stage—a betrayal not just of India’s diplomatic legacy, but of the values enshrined in its Constitution.


The author is an independent writer on politics, social and agrarian issues. The views are personal.