Every rise is followed by a fall, and every empire is destined to decline. History demonstrates that great powers often commit fatal errors that hasten their downfall.
Historian Edward Gibbon, in his study of the Roman Empire, revealed how internal decay and strategic miscalculations led to its collapse. Likewise, Arnold J. Toynbee argued that civilizations decline when their leaders fail to respond wisely to historical challenges. Will Durant also observed that power shifts between civilizations when moral strength and wisdom erode. It appears that history is repeating itself. Intoxicated by power, the United States has launched another unlawful war—this time against Iran—one that may deal a severe blow to its economic vitality, military capability, and strategic influence.
The Iran war has now entered its third week. America and Israel are deploying every lethal weapon short of nuclear arms to demolish Iranian military installations and civilian infrastructure. So far, their attacks have killed hundreds of innocent people, including Ayatollah Khamenei and around 160 schoolgirls. Despite their technological superiority and overwhelming air power, they have failed to achieve their declared goal of regime change. Instead, Khamenei’s assassination has strengthened Iran’s national unity. The appointment of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader signals Iran’s determination to pursue its policies with resolve and courage rather than retreat in the face of an unlawful war.
In his first public address, Mojtaba Khamenei firmly vowed that Iran would continue to fight. He declared that the Strait of Hormuz could remain closed and warned that all U.S. bases in the region must be shut down immediately or face attack. While reaffirming Iran’s commitment to friendly relations with its neighbors, he asserted that strikes on U.S. bases in the region would continue.
Iran’s ongoing attacks on American bases in Gulf countries and on Israel have already shaken the long-standing perception of the invincibility of the U.S. defense system. With each passing day, the conflict inflicts greater economic and strategic damage on America’s global reputation.
As the war escalates, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have begun exploiting religious sentiments to garner domestic support. A widely circulated video shows evangelical pastors praying for Trump and for victory in the conflict at the Oval Office. Netanyahu has also invoked religious and biblical narratives to frame the war in moral and historical terms, seeking to mobilize popular backing.
In truth, America and Israel are defying morality and international law by attacking innocent civilians in Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the strikes as being “outside the framework of international law.” Spain denounced them as “unilateral military action” and denied U.S. access to its bases. Within the United States, Senator Bernie Sanders labeled the war “illegal,” while Senators Chris Van Hollen and Chris Murphy warned it undermines American security and strategic interests.
Trump and Netanyahu stand accused as war criminals who should face trial for initiating unlawful wars and atrocities against civilians in Iran and Gaza. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown observed that “the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, as well as the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, unequivocally prohibit assaults on children and schools. Attacks on educational institutions are war crimes listed under Article 8 of the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). Leaders who order, authorize, or knowingly permit such assaults should face arrest and prosecution.”
Guardian columnist Simon Tisdall writes: “Nine days in, the conduct of the unjustified, illegal U.S.-Israel war against Iran grows ever more disproportionate, dishonourable, and deranged. The torpedoing of an Iranian navy ship off Sri Lanka by a U.S. submarine shows that for reckless Donald Trump, the whole world is his battlefield. Diplomacy, sabotaged by Washington, has been replaced by relentless airstrikes that murder and maim hundreds of Iranian civilians. The Trump White House increasingly resembles a madhouse. War aims shift daily. A rambling, clueless president insists on helping select Iran’s next ayatollah. Meanwhile, his ‘secretary for war,’ Pete Hegseth, rants about killing without mercy. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu—already charged with war crimes in Gaza—and Trump must now face prosecution by the ICC for atrocities committed in Iran, especially the appalling February 28 bombing of a school in Minab.”
Many critics argue that Trump is fighting Israel’s war. Some allege that Netanyahu has pressured him through the Epstein files. Economist Richard Wolff suggests that Trump may have started the war to distract Americans from the Epstein scandal and worsening domestic economic conditions. This desperate attempt to halt the decline of the American empire could, however, accelerate it instead.
Political theorist John J. Mearsheimer, author of Why Leaders Lie, contends that Donald Trump often acts in ways disconnected from strategic reality. “It’s clear from listening to him that he has all sorts of pictures in his head that bear no resemblance to reality,” Mearsheimer states. “He repeatedly says things that are simply untrue—such as claiming that Iran’s weapons are inaccurate, which is obviously false. Iran possesses highly precise ballistic missiles and drones. He even made the bizarre claim that Iran has Tomahawk missiles, which makes no sense. Trump further insisted that the United States ‘erased’ Iran’s nuclear capability last year, though much of its 60-percent enriched uranium survived. His thinking is incoherent, and under such conditions, it’s easy to see how someone like Netanyahu could deceive him into believing that a quick victory was possible.”
Mearsheimer has also warned that Israel, as a dangerously radical state, could resort to using atomic weapons to achieve its objectives. One thing, however, seems certain: Iran will not surrender. If the conflict continues to expand, it could engulf the entire region in flames, triggering a catastrophe with dire consequences for the global economy and international stability—unless the global community intervenes to stop it.