The US-Iran War has made the people in the Middle East more cut off from their rulers.
By MANISH ANAND
New Delhi, March 7, 2026 — China believes that the US is now inextricably stuck in Iran-Israel endemic conflicts. Unlike Ukraine War, Beijing has maintained a stoic silence on a likely mediation role in US-Iran War. That has been taken up by Indonesia.
With Iran War objectives — regime change, eliminating nuclear and missile threats, and removing ‘hardliners’ — in tatters, the US is evidently busy selling alibi to the domestic audience for a potential face saver. That comes through two dominant narratives — Russia is helping Iran with intelligence, and China is mapping all American military secrets from the sky.
John Bolton is a vocal supporter of the US military actions in Iran. He was the national security advisor of US President Donald Trump in his first term. Now he appears resigned to the view that “unconditional surrender by Iran is not possible.” Boltan suggested to CNN that the stated objectives of the war cannot be met now.
The best-case scenario per Bolton is that “someone from the Iranian military, not from the revolutionary guards, take control” of Iran. That in crude interpretation should mean that the US now wants a quick end to its military operations.
Trump had made a hasty retreat from the Yemen military operations after the cost spiked to $1 billion a day. The cost of the US military actions against Iran is said to be a minimum $2 billion daily. With crude oil over $90 per barrel and Dow Jones now at 47,500, Trump’s two core rhetorics for the domestic audience are now ruined.
The US allies in the Middle East have woken up to the brutal truth — Washington cannot protect them from Iran’s missiles and drones. They now can potentially also drop fear of Israel as Iran rains munitions over Israeli cities. The Abrahams Accord — crafted by Trump — may possibly be on way to the Arabian Sea for a burial.
The US and Israel may accept a ceasefire without many theatrics. Iran will also accept a cessation. That will lift the morales in Tehran. Killings and destructions failed to tame Iran. Raging rebellions within Iran took a pause for a greater cause. That is to stop the foreign aggressors. A civilization that claims continuity for 6,000 years instinctively knows how to survive.
From the debris of the ruinous US-Iran War, a new Middle East may rise. That will not be faithfully listening to powerbrokers from Washington. The region comforted with stability and peace for decades may now worry more for future. The US-Iran War has made the people in the Middle East more cut off from their rulers.
(This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are author’s own.)
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