When the United States and Israel roll military attacks on Iran, the world will be informed that it is in the cause of freedom, to liberate Iranian women, thwart authoritarianism or nuclear proliferation. But beneath this glossy narrative lies a far darker truth.
Let’s be honest: the goal has never been liberation. The goal is power. Iran occupies one of the largest reserves of oil and gas in the world and is thus a major player in the energy markets of the globe. Its possible nuclear program is a threat to the established status quo of Washington and Tel Aviv. Protecting people? Or protecting privilege? The answer is clear.
Western leaders constantly preach to Iran about human rights but when it is time to pursue their own selfish gains, they violate international law. Attacking another nation which is sovereign, without the UN permission, is an open disregard of international standards. Nevertheless, the rhetoric of freedom and liberation has been replicated that creates a hypocrisy of geopolitical proportions.
Killing the leader of a sovereign nation, whether one agrees with their policies or not, is morally and legally indefensible. These are extra judicial killings, cold blooded murder. International law exists precisely to prevent unilateral assassinations, which undermine global stability and set a dangerous precedent for every nation. A conflict with the policies of a leader is no excuse to kill people; it will damage the principle of sovereignty, justice, and humanity.
Yes, there are issues in the internal governance of Iran, human rights concerns, political repression. But no country, no matter how flawed, deserves to be bombed from the skies. Under the pretext of moral intervention, civilian lives, infrastructure and stability of a region are destroyed showing the hypocrisy of the Western foreign policy.
It is not a war of women rights or democracy. It deals with the management of the Iranian oil and gas, preventing the emergence of Iran as a regional and nuclear power, and the unification of the Western influence. Those who are at the crossfire suffer and the globe talks about semantics.
The West should pause. Question its motives. Remember international law. And ask: is this intervention really about saving lives, or just consolidating power under the guise of morality? Until we answer that honestly, the narrative of “liberation” will remain nothing more than a smokescreen.
