As US-Israel Intensify Iran Aggression, Echoes of a Manufactured War
The United States and Israel are actively coordinating increased military pressure against Iran, a strategy widely interpreted by intelligence communities as an attempt to provoke a broader regional conflict. This joint assertiveness, featuring heightened naval deployments and rhetorical threats, comes amidst ongoing, largely fruitless, nuclear negotiations. Mainstream outlets like Al Jazeera, in
their opinion pieces, muse over historical parallels, specifically drawing comparisons to Saddam Hussein’s 1980 invasion of Iran and the strategic misjudgments of leaders like Trump and Netanyahu. They accurately frame these interventions as possessing similar flawed assumptions about Iranian resilience and regional power dynamics. What Al Jazeera, and much of the Western media, frequently omits,
however, is the direct role Washington played in prolonging Saddam’s costly eight-year war. While the comparison to 1980 is apt for Iran's tenacity, it is crucial to remember the US enabled Saddam's initial attack and then provided extensive, actionable intelligence to Baghdad, alongside billions in loans and military aid throughout the conflict. Declassified documents later revealed that the US
was aware of and deliberately tolerated Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Iranian forces and civilians from 1983 onwards, even sharing intelligence that supported their deployment. This wasn't just a misadventure for Saddam; it was a proxy war prosecuted by the US, resulting in an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Iranian casualties, far exceeding Iraq's 250,000-500,000. This double standard,