US victory cry rings hollow

So much winning. Many of those in the American camp – led by cheerleader Donald Trump – are crowing that the war with Iran is won, or almost won.

What I find interesting is that no-one on the side of US ally Israel – which has decades of fighting tough Middle East wars – has said anything like that.

We have all seen the braggadocio of Trump, as the King of the World (as he believes he is) wielding the Big American Stick.

But we have also seen his flip-flopping, so we have to wonder, how the hell can we believe you when you say Iran is finished?

The Trump fanboys have been echoing that bellicose sentiment across social media, as if the defeat of Tehran is a done deal. If they say it often enough, perhaps it will come true, Toto.

How is it that a country whose missile sites have been destroyed, at least according to the US, still manages to launch ballistic missiles and swarms of drones at both Israel and countries across the Gulf region?

How is it that a country which has supposedly lost all or most of its maritime fighting ability, manages to block the Strait of Hormuz and threaten shutdowns and chaos across the oil and other markets?

ALSO READ: Iran vows to fight on and block all Gulf oil

How is it that if the war is “almost over” – Trump says it is just a case of deciding when – that the International Energy Agency released a record 400 million barrels of crude oil to help stabilise the global market?

That was the largest in the history of the agency, which was set up to provide a safety net for the world energy network after the Arab-Israeli War in 1973.

Previous crises saw only fractions of that amount put onto world markets. In 1991, as Kuwait’s oil fields burned from Saddam Hussein’s sabotage in the first Gulf war, the release was just 65 million barrels.

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there were two releases, totalling just 182 million barrels.

Releasing 400 million barrels now doesn’t sound at all like everything is hunky-dory in the Gulf, no matter what Trump or his glee club keep saying.

Undoubtedly Iran has been pulverised, but to think its military is down and out is wishful thinking and possibly yet another example of Western hubris about its weapons technology leading it down the dead-end path of asymmetric war.

Iran’s low-tech drones are a force multiplier which enables Tehran to project its force and intentions… and there seems to be plenty of them.

ALSO READ: Government says no immediate fuel shortage risk, but motorists should brace for price hikes

It’s interesting the US companies which are vendors of satellite imagery have placed a 14-day embargo on the release of pictures from the war zone.

They say they were not ordered to by the government but they did this so the imagery would not be used as “tactical leverage” by anyone in the conflict.

That’s interesting because the Iranians probably get their satellite feeds instantly from Russia and China and would not need anything from US commercial sources.

On the other hand, cynics might say the embargo would prevent news organisations from publishing the true state of damage at US facilities until remedial measures are in place.

An embargo like this doesn’t sound like the strategy of a winning team, does it?

Also how does Trump intend to declare the US-Israel coalition the winner merely by saying “it’s over”, when Tehran has not surrendered?

So much winning. So many questions.

NOW READ: West’s next steps pose greatest danger – amid Trump’s wandering focus