How to stop the US-Israel war on Iran

The warfare that Israel and the United States launched against Iran connected February 28 is successful a lull, not astatine an end. Major combat has paused, diplomacy has stalled and some sides are preparing for the adjacent round. To recognize wherefore the warring volition soon resume, we request to recognize the motivations of the 2 governments that started it. Neither of them wants peace. Israel’s enactment seeks domination implicit the Middle East, and the United States seeks to sphere its domination implicit the world. Simply to authorities these aims is to underscore that some governments are operating successful a satellite of delusion.

Israel’s governmental enactment is consumed by the content that Israel’s endurance depends connected its subject supremacy implicit the Arab satellite and connected the imperishable subjugation oregon elimination of the Palestinian people. This content is simply a signifier of corporate madness, yet it is the doctrine that governs Israeli policy. Israel’s leaders cannot judge that bid is wrong reach. In the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, the Arab states offered Israel full normalisation in instrumentality for a Palestinian authorities connected the 1967 borders, and that connection inactive stands. Peace cannot beryllium built connected genocide successful Gaza oregon connected hatred of the Palestinian radical and the thrust to region them from their land. Yet that is the way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen, and helium present campaigns connected it openly, with his “national religious” allies, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who twist religion successful the work of hatred and killing.

The United States is consumed by its declining power. Iran has been a people for much than 70 years. In 1953, the CIA and British quality overthrew Iran’s elected premier minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, aft helium nationalised Iran’s oil. The United States past installed the shah and backed his constabulary authorities until the Iranian radical overthrew it successful 1979. The US has ne'er forgiven Iran for escaping from US domination. The US backed Saddam Hussein’s deadly warfare against Iran successful the 1980s, and followed with 4 decades of economical warfare, covert operations, cyberattacks and assassinations. Trump tore up the 2015 atomic statement successful 2018, bombed Iran’s atomic sites successful June 2025, and then, successful February of this year, joined Israel successful unfastened war, sidesplitting Iran’s ultimate person successful the opening strikes.

Washington’s fixation connected Iran is successful the work of American hegemony. In The Grand Chessboard (1997), Zbigniew Brzezinski named Iran 1 of 5 “geopolitical pivots,” states that substance little for their ain powerfulness than for wherever they sit. Iran commands the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Brzezinski wrote that an “antihegemonic” conjugation of China, Russia and Iran could look “only if the United States is shortsighted capable to antagonize China and Iran simultaneously.” Well, yes, Washington has been that shortsighted and reckless.

The signs that the warfare volition restart are not hidden. This week, War Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel to sermon renewed associated strikes, and Israeli sources study that the plans people Iran’s petrochemical facilities and atomic sites. The White House has promised that the United States volition not onslaught Iran earlier the November 3 midterm elections, which is different mode of announcing a timetable for war. The US naval blockade of Iran’s ports has passed its 100th day. Trump rejected Iran’s connection for a seven-day ceasefire in September, adjacent though Tehran says the connection remains connected the table.

Israel’s October 27 predetermination adds substance to the fire. On October 18, Trump endorsed Netanyahu, saying the United States would “finish the job” against Iran lone with Netanyahu successful charge. On October 21, at a rally successful Dimona (home to the reactor wherever Israel secretly built its ain atomic arsenal), Netanyahu declared that the lone mode to extremity the Iranian menace is to overthrow the authorities and said helium had issued that directive to the army, Mossad and the information services.

Iran has understandably drawn its ain conclusions. Its commanders person announced a caller violative doctrine that includes preemptive strikes and attacks connected bases successful neighbouring countries utilized for operations against Iran, and they pass that renewed attacks would bring a planetary vigor crisis. Attacks connected shipping successful the Strait of Hormuz reached a caller highest this month.

This is the world that the Arab world, particularly the Gulf countries, present faces. The US bases crossed the Gulf did not bring information successful this war. They turned their big nations into targets. The US-Israeli strategy of disagreement and conquer, which formed Iran arsenic the region’s imperishable force and invited the Arab states to structure nether American powerfulness portion accepting Israeli hegemony, has brought warfare to the region, economical nonaccomplishment to the Gulf, and wide killings successful Palestine and Lebanon.

The lone mode to halt this madness is for the Arab satellite to archer the United States that capable is enough. The Arab states should state that they volition ne'er judge Israeli hegemony, that determination indispensable beryllium a sovereign State of Palestine and that the region’s information volition travel from determination practice alternatively than from Washington. The solution could beryllium 2 states, arsenic successful the Arab Peace Initiative, oregon 1 binational antiauthoritarian state, oregon a confederation. What matters is that Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, each astir 8 cardinal people, unrecorded successful peace, information and self-determination. What is not imaginable is the perpetuation of Israel’s brutal apartheid state.

The beginnings are visible. Qatar has called for a determination dialogue among the Gulf Cooperation Council states, Turkiye and Pakistan, and Qatar, Pakistan and Oman person kept the channels of mediation with Tehran unfastened passim the war. These efforts should turn into a lasting determination information model that includes Iran, the Gulf states, Egypt, Turkiye, Iraq and Pakistan, built connected communal non-aggression, state of navigation, and a portion escaped of atomic weapons that indispensable yet see Israel.

The Arab states person acold much leverage than they recognise. If Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and their neighbours announced that their territory and airspace volition not beryllium utilized for different warfare connected Iran, and that normalisation with Israel is disconnected the array until a Palestinian authorities exists, the calculations successful Washington and Tel Aviv would person to alteration quickly. And the American people, who hatred the warfare connected Iran and broadside with Palestine, would cheer.

The epoch of US-led disagreement and conquer, with Iran formed arsenic the imperishable force of the Arab world, is over, adjacent if Washington and Tel Aviv garbage to admit it. The Arab states should accidental truthful openly present earlier the adjacent circular of warfare begins, and successful doing so, unfastened the mode to a portion that provides for its ain information and peace.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the authors’ ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.