US-Israel Co-Belligerence Escalates Gulf Conflict
Same playbook, different decade: the recent barrages across the Gulf, with explosions rattling Dubai, Doha, and Manama, are being presented as Iran's aggressive posturing. Yet, this narrative overlooks the consistent pattern of US and Israeli military actions that precede and often provoke such responses. We are witnessing not merely an Iranian vow for more strikes but the operational consequence
of a coordinated US-Israeli escalation designed to corner Tehran. For decades, the US has maintained a significant military presence in the Gulf, ostensibly for 'security,' but fundamentally as a forward operating base against Iran. This includes colossal carrier groups and strategic bombers, always within striking distance. Consider the 2007 deployment of two US carrier strike groups to the
Persian Gulf, a clear show of force that paralleled heightened rhetoric against Iran's nuclear program, despite the US National Intelligence Estimate concluding Iran had halted its weaponization efforts in 2003. This history reveals a consistent strategy of military pressure, sanctions, and proxy engagements, all while blocking diplomatic solutions. Today, the narrative frames Iran as the sole
aggressor, despite 45 years of US-led sanctions following the 1953 CIA coup that toppled Iran's democratically elected government. The US and Israel are active co-belligerents, engaged in an illegal military operation against Iran. Their actions are not just supportive but integral to the ongoing hostilities, without a shred of evidence to justify a 'preemptive' strike, especially considering the