By Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd),Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to FranceM,acomb, Michigan, USA
In a world already teetering on the edge of chaos, President Donald J. Trump—hailed recently by Pakistan for his peace overtures and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize—has thrown a match into a barrel of dynamite. In a stunning turn of events, Trump announced via a tweet that U.S. fighter jets had executed full-scale strikes on three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities: Natanz, Esfahan, and the highly fortified Fordow site. With a declared “full payload of bombs” dropped and all aircraft safely out of Iranian airspace, Trump lauded the mission as a resounding success and declared: “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE.”
But peace is not what follows the obliteration of another nation’s nuclear assets. Peace cannot be dictated at the barrel of a gun, nor declared by a power that has just shattered the fragile ceiling of restraint. The world was hoping—praying—that Trump would resist the provocations of Israel’s far-right leadership. Instead, under the sway of Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, Trump has dragged the Middle East into what could become the most devastating conflict of the 21st century.
Iran had long warned that any strike on its sovereign soil would unleash a retaliatory firestorm. Until now, it had exercised calculated restraint despite Israel’s assassinations of its nuclear scientists, sabotage of centrifuges, and recent air raids. But with U.S. involvement now overt and direct, all red lines have been crossed.
Iran no longer faces strategic limits in choosing its targets. American, British, and French bases scattered across the Middle East—in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and Cyprus—are now legitimate targets for Tehran’s ballistic missiles, drones, and covert operations. U.S. aircraft carriers and naval assets in the Persian Gulf are vulnerable, and European powers that once tiptoed around the conflict now find themselves within range of Iranian retaliation. This war, once confined to rhetoric and proxy skirmishes, has now metastasized into a regional inferno.
Only days ago, Pakistan proposed Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his earlier claims of seeking to end the Ukraine war and bring stability to the Middle East. That diplomatic gesture now appears tragically ironic. The same man who campaigned on peace has not only reignited war but done so with unprecedented recklessness. His actions mock the very essence of peacemaking and diplomacy.
Trump’s track record tells a story of military maximalism dressed in populist language. From nearly igniting war with North Korea, to authorizing the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, to now ordering strikes on sovereign Iranian nuclear sites—his idea of peace seems rooted in dominance, not dialogue.
This war was not initiated without purpose. Israel, emboldened by U.S. support, launched its campaign against Iran with three clear objectives: destruction of Iran’s nuclear capability, regime change in Tehran, and unconditional surrender. But none of these goals are realistically attainable—militarily or politically.
The Iranian nuclear program, while dealt a temporary blow, cannot be entirely dismantled by aerial bombardment. Sites like Fordow are built deep within mountains, shielded from most conventional strikes. Enrichment technology can be dispersed, rebuilt, and hidden. As history has shown—from Osirak to Natanz—bombs delay nuclear progress, they do not eliminate it.
The idea of regime change by air power is another delusion. No nation in modern history has achieved durable political transformation through aerial bombing alone. Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Afghanistan under the Taliban both required long, bloody ground invasions—and even then, the resulting governments collapsed swiftly once foreign forces exited. Iran, with a population of 88 million, a deeply rooted theocratic system, and powerful revolutionary institutions, will not crumble from above.
Expecting unconditional surrender from a proud, ancient civilization like Iran is to fundamentally misunderstand the Iranian psyche. In times of crisis, Iran has consistently united across internal divides to resist foreign domination. If attacked, it will fight to the last man—not capitulate.
Despite four decades of sanctions, cyber warfare, and international isolation, Iran remains standing. While it may not match the U.S. in conventional military strength, Iran’s asymmetric capabilities—from missile barrages to cyberattacks, from naval swarm tactics to regional proxy networks—are potent enough to disrupt American and Israeli operations, damage global oil routes, and destabilize U.S. allies in the region.
Even a technologically inferior force can defeat a superpower, as the Taliban did against the U.S. in Afghanistan. That war cost America over $2 trillion and 2,400 American lives—and ended with chaotic withdrawal and strategic humiliation. Yet, here we are again: repeating history under the illusion that sheer force guarantees victory.
Beyond the battlefield, there are environmental consequences too horrific to ignore. The Qatari Foreign Minister recently warned that attacking nuclear facilities risks releasing radiation into the air and sea. The Persian Gulf is home to over 20 desalination plants supplying fresh water to millions across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain. A nuclear leak could poison their primary water source within days. Radiation clouds could drift across borders, sparking regional health crises with no immediate cure.
A single miscalculation—accidental or deliberate—could trigger a nuclear exchange. If Iran possesses a tactical nuclear device and deploys it, or if Israel responds with its undeclared arsenal, millions across the region could die slow, painful deaths from radiation exposure.
If Iran cannot stop the United States, then who can? The answer may lie not in Tehran or Tel Aviv—but in Washington itself. Across U.S. social media platforms, public opinion is turning. From academia to journalism, from TikTok influencers to military veterans, Americans are speaking out. Many question why their sons and daughters should die for Israel’s ambitions. Why a nation thousands of miles away is dragging America into yet another endless war.
Senators and members of Congress, too, are beginning to stir. Bipartisan calls for restraint, congressional oversight, and diplomatic engagement are mounting. Whether they act fast enough is another matter.
At the core of Israel’s aggressive posture lies a dangerous ideology: that its people are chosen, its actions above reproach, and its enemies inherently inferior. This theological-nationalist arrogance not only dehumanizes Palestinians and Iranians—it emboldens genocidal policies, unrestrained militarism, and global destabilization. When genocide is framed as self-defense and occupation as divine right, peace becomes impossible.
This ideology has now ensnared America, turning a superpower into a pawn. And under Trump’s leadership, America has become an executor of this delusion—bombing its way into catastrophe.
President Trump cannot declare peace while planting seeds of war. He cannot claim moral high ground while leveling sovereign nuclear sites. And he certainly cannot be called a peacemaker while dancing to the tune of another nation’s extremist vision.
True peace will only come when diplomacy replaces destruction, when power is checked by justice, and when global institutions stop enabling exceptionalism disguised as victimhood. Until then, the world teeters—held hostage by missiles, myths, and men intoxicated with power.
