The Israel-US war against Iran is over. What about Gaza?

There is a pause in the war, which was initially being fought between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran, yet it is far from being over. What led to this horrible armed conflict that had the potential of transforming into a nuclear encounter was the genocide committed by Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's forces in Gaza. The war in Gaza continued for well over 21 months, claiming nearly 60000 lives and injuring well over 200,000 innocent Palestinians.

US President Donald Trump managed a dramatic ceasefire that surprised many who were monitoring the worst conflict of all time in the Middle East. It is yet unclear what happened that prompted slogan-chanting President Trump and threatening Netanyahu to initiate the need for a ceasefire.

President Trump did not mince his words while saying that the Israeli Prime Minister had contacted him to express his desire for a ceasefire. “I then contacted the Amir of Qatar to persuade the Iranian leadership and seek its consent and agreement for bringing an end to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Amir of Qatar then conveyed to me that Tehran is willing to accept the ceasefire offer provided Israel halts its operation/attack against Iran”.

All this sounds dramatic because hours before, Donald Trump was making claims of having destroyed the Iranian nuclear capability by bombing three major nuclear sites in Iran, including the Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre.

At the same time, Zionist Prime Minister Netanyahu made false claims of having destroyed major nuclear installations and breaking the back of Iran's capacity to attack Israel.

What has confused many diplomatic observers, war experts, and political analysts is the fact that while US B-52 bombers dropped a full payload on the Iranian nuclear site, yet no heavy damage was caused.

The American bombers struck these sites in the early hours of June 22, and the attack was named “Operation Midnight Hammer”. Immediately after the attack, it was claimed that the damage would substantially delay Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon. The main question is whether Iran had managed to shift enriched uranium and equipment to safe locations before the U.S. strike, or whether there are other, unknown sites where nuclear work can proceed.

According to American and Western media reports, the B-2s dropped 14 Massive Ordinance Penetrators on the Fordow and Natanz sites. Each bomb weighed 30,000 pounds, and each B-2 can carry just two of the weapons, indicating that seven B-2s took part in the operation, the report added.

The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, Muhammad Eslami, said they have taken necessary measures to ensure the continuation of the nuclear programme after the current strike by the US air force. “We are comprehending the extent of the damage, and plans for restarting the facilities have since been made so that production and services are not disrupted”, he added.

It is painful to observe that throughout this conflict, the Muslim states in this region, particularly the Gulf countries, decided to stay neutral. At the same time, it is alleged that some of them collaborated closely with the US as well as Israel to destroy the nuclear capability of Iran.

It may be pointed out that Iran possesses 400 kilograms of Uranium, which is 60 per cent enriched. If this quantity of Uranium were further enriched to 90 per cent that would be enough to build 10 nuclear bombs.

Whether the ceasefire is holding out or not remains to be seen because both sides, Iran and Israel, have accused each other of violations. President Trump has expressed his anger more at Netanyahu and demanded the archrivals desist from further attacks against each other.

The leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran) has said that the Israeli Prime Minister is an unreliable person and can still choose to go for a military adventure. Therefore, we will keep our fingers on the triggers.

But the fact remains that after the recent conflict, the Middle East would certainly go through a change. It has been established that no one can be subjected to tyranny for long against their desire. The Palestinians have fought a great battle against the Zionist entity, and now is the time for their land to be vacated, and the United Nations’ formula of two states to be implemented. The sooner it is ensured is better for the future of this region and its people.