M A Hossain,
War is always the culmination of long-term rivalries, strategic calculations, and the collapse of mutual respect. In the present geopolitical context, the United States is preparing for an all-out war with Iran. As the world order shifts, Benjamin Netanyahu has seized the opportunity to draw Washington into a broader war game. Powerful Jewish lobbyists are pushing the Trump administration toward confrontation with Israel’s rival, Iran. Moreover, American all walks of effort failed over the decades into a debacle to deter Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and its sponsorship of militant groups. the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is a matter of existence.
The Nuclear Shadow
The main reason for this conflict is Iran's nuclear ambition. The Islamic Republic has pursued uranium enrichment for years, claiming it is for peaceful energy purposes. However, it is clearly understood that, at a certain point, enrichment can reach the capability to produce a nuclear bomb. Israel, the U.S., and much of the Arab world view this as an existential threat.
The Western nations have tried to dissuade Iran through sanctions and negotiations. The 2015 nuclear deal under President Barack Obama was supposed to provide relief in exchange for limits on enrichment. Instead, it offered Iran a financial lifeline without dismantling its infrastructure. By 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, arguing correctly that it was a flawed arrangement. Since then, Tehran has advanced dangerously close to weapons-grade capacity. To allow Iran to cross the nuclear threshold would be to accept another North Korea in the Middle East — only this time, one ideologically committed to the destruction of Israel and hostile to America’s allies.
Iran’s Proxy Wars
Nuclear ambition is not the only problem. Iran operates through a vast network of proxies: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. These groups are not simply regional actors; they are extensions of Tehran’s revolutionary guard, armed and funded to destabilize neighbors and attack Western interests. The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel bore Iran’s fingerprints in strategy and supply. Hezbollah’s rockets, aimed routinely at northern Israel, are made possible by Iranian technology. In Yemen, the Houthis launch drones at international shipping lanes, threatening global trade.
The United States has tolerated this behavior for too long. Strikes on Iranian commanders, like the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, showed flashes of American resolve, but they were not followed through with a consistent strategy. A serious campaign to degrade Iran’s proxy network requires more than tactical retaliation. It requires undermining the source: Tehran itself.
The Sanctions Strategy
For decades, sanctions have been the primary tool. They have squeezed Iran’s economy, denied its investment, and cut it off from oil markets. Yet, the regime has survived. It has endured hardship by rallying its people around nationalist pride, scapegoating the West, and exploiting sympathy in parts of the Global South. The Revolutionary Guard has monopolized whatever economic opportunities remain, ensuring loyalty through patronage.
By rescinding waivers that once allowed exceptions — such as India’s investments in the Chabahar port — Washington is now closing loopholes. Every dollar denied to Iran is a dollar not spent on centrifuges or rockets for Hezbollah. This tightening of pressure demonstrates a recognition that half-measures will not suffice. Either Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions and cease its regional adventurism, or it must face consequences that go beyond the economy.
The Military Build-Up
What does preparation for war look like? It means securing regional bases, regaining lost ground, and ensuring logistical corridors. Reports of U.S. interest in re-establishing control over Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase reflect more than nostalgia; they reflect strategic necessity. From Bagram, American aircraft can reach deep into Iranian territory. Similarly, closer coordination with Pakistan provides another staging ground. The abrupt deepening of ties with Pakistan was widely perceived by the political pundits as a sign of escalating tensions with Iran.
Together, this amounts to an encirclement strategy. Iran is being squeezed from the west by U.S. assets in the Gulf, from the east by potential access to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and from the north through its vulnerable connection to the Caucasus. Add to this America’s naval dominance, and Iran faces the grim prospect of isolation on every side.
Why Military Action Is Inevitable
Critics argue that striking Iran would destabilize the Middle East, raise oil prices, and unleash a new wave of arms procurements. These are real risks. But the risks of inaction are greater. A nuclear-armed Iran would spark an arms race across the region. The Gulf would be militarized beyond recognition. In other words, the U.S. is preparing for an all-out war with Iran because of escalating military actions, Iran’s nuclear program, allied obligations to Israel, and the strategic objective to counter Iranian influence and capabilities in the Middle East.
Moreover, Iran’s leadership has shown no willingness to compromise. Sanctions did not work. Diplomacy failed. At some point, the credibility of the West depends on enforcing its red lines. If the world says Iran cannot build a nuclear bomb and Iran proceeds regardless, the message is that rules are meaningless. That erosion of deterrence would echo far beyond the Middle East — to Russia, China, and North Korea.
The Israeli Factor
No discussion of the U.S. strategy is complete without acknowledging Israel’s security. For Israel, Iran’s nuclear program is not an academic concern; it is a matter of survival. Tehran has repeatedly called for the destruction of the Jewish state. To expect Israel to live under the shadow of annihilation is to demand the intolerable. Washington understands this, and American foreign policy has long been guided by the principle that Israel’s survival is non-negotiable.
The question is not whether war with Iran is possible; it is whether it has become inevitable. Every signal from Washington suggests a recognition that the time for patience has ended. The lifting of sanctions waivers, the military repositioning, and the tightening of coordination with regional partners all point in one direction. The goal may not be total conquest or regime change — though that cannot be ruled out — but rather the systematic degradation of Iran’s ability to project power and pursue nuclear weapons.
Iran will not go quietly. It has its Revolutionary Guard, its militias, and its ideology. It will respond with asymmetric attacks, cyber warfare, and attempts to ignite uprisings in neighboring states. But here lies the advantage of decisive American action: Iran’s strength lies in proxies, not parity. Against the full weight of U.S. military power, the Islamic Republic is overmatched.
Conclusion
For too long, Iran has been allowed to believe that it can outlast the world’s patience, that it can exploit divisions, and that it can inch toward a bomb without consequence. That illusion is ending. The United States, by rescinding economic exceptions and preparing militarily, is signaling that the next stage will not be negotiation, but confrontation.
War is never desirable. But for the US and its allies, military action may be the only language left. If Washington is indeed preparing for an all-out war against Iran, it is not out of recklessness but of survival for Israel and economic recovery for the U.S.
M A Hossain, political and defense analyst based in Bangladesh. He can be reached at: writetomahossain@gmail.com
This article published at :
1. Eurasia Review, USA : 28 Sep, 25
No comments:
Post a Comment