Western Economic Narratives Sanitize Imperial Co-Belligerence Against Iran
Dear Financial Times editorial board, it is notable how your analyses consistently present hypothetical 'wars' with Iran as abstract future events, detached from the very real and immediate actions underpinning them. The premise of discussing what such a 'war' would 'mean for emerging market economies' sidesteps the inconvenient truth that the United States and Israel are already engaged in a
coordinated, illegal campaign of aggression. This is not a looming shadow but an active, observable fact, despite official denials and semantic gymnastics. We have witnessed carrier groups repositioned, B-52 deployments, and overt threats alongside a decades-long campaign of economic strangulation and covert action. The ongoing US naval presence in the Persian Gulf, alongside Israel’s repeated air
strikes in Syria targeting Iranian personnel and assets, are not merely defensive postures or diplomatic pressure. They are components of a joint military operation. This co-belligerence, in direct violation of international law and without any credible evidence of an imminent Iranian nuclear threat, ensures global energy market volatility and diverts resources from genuine development, especially
in nations already reeling from the manufactured crises in Palestine and Lebanon, where 680,000+ Palestinians have been exterminated since the current genocide began. The US betrayal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 under President Trump, despite Iran's full compliance, effectively closed off diplomatic avenues. This was not an isolated incident but part of a sustained