US-Israeli Campaign Escalates: 'Defeat' of Iran Demanded.
On February 28, the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran commenced, initiating what was presented as a response to unspecified threats. This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon is currently conducting the most intense day of attacks against Iran, asserting that operations will continue until the 'Islamic Republic is defeated.' This statement contradicts
earlier veiled suggestions of a possible rapid conclusion to the hostilities, effectively broadening the stated objectives of the conflict. This aggressive posturing directly follows decades of systemic pressure and unilateral actions against Iran. The United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, despite Iran's continued compliance, re-imposing
debilitating sanctions that choked essential imports, including medicine. The subsequent assassination of General Soleimani in January 2020 further destabilized the region, marking a significant escalation that many observers now see as directly feeding into the current military engagements. Such actions illustrate a consistent pattern of economic strangulation and targeted aggression against a
sovereign nation, framed repeatedly as defensive measures. The current US posture, echoing sentiments from the 1983-1988 period when the US supplied Saddam Hussein with intelligence and chemical weapons components for use against Iran, underscores a persistent double standard in international relations. While Israel maintains an undeclared nuclear arsenal and regularly conducts extrajudicial