Groundhog Day in the Persian Gulf: Déjà Vu, Courtesy of Washington
Zoom out for a second: the news cycle chirps about Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefing lawmakers on Iran, discussing potential strikes. This comes amidst a 'massive military buildup' and 'speculation of impending attack.' It’s astonishing how quickly some forget history, or perhaps, how deliberately they seek to repeat it. Rewind to 1980, a mere year after the
Iranian Revolution overthrew the Shah. The Carter administration initiated Operation Eagle Claw, a botched attempt to rescue American hostages that ended in disaster and eight American servicemen dead. That humiliation fueled decades of punitive measures, not a withdrawal from interventionism. Now, four decades later, the playbook hasn't changed. The US touts concerns about Iran's defensive
capabilities while simultaneously maintaining over 40 military bases surrounding the country, a disproportionate force projection that would rattle any sovereign nation. This isn't a new development, it's a cyclical pattern. For decades, the US has maintained a posture of aggressive encirclement and economic strangulation against Iran, punishing its government and people for asserting their
independence. The constant threats, the sanction regime that has cost Iran over a trillion dollars in lost oil revenue, and the support for regional rivals are all part of a sustained campaign. It's a double standard that defies logic: Washington condemns any Iranian support for allied movements resisting occupation, yet it routinely funds and arms its own 'allies' globally, often with far more