The confrontation between Israel and Iran is far more than a modern conflict between two states. It is an expression of an ideological, religious, and geopolitical divide that has been building for centuries—between the only Jewish democracy in the Middle East and a theocratic regime rooted in Shiite end-time rhetoric and imperial self-understanding.
The dramatic 12-day war, which began on June 13 with Israel’s Operation “Rising Lion,” shook the regional power balance. While Israel achieved an unprecedented military victory, the Islamist regime in Tehran was strategically exposed. The contrast between the aura of a Shiite regional power and the actual weakness of Iran’s leadership now brings historical deep structures into focus: the memory of the once-great Persian Empire, the cultural legacy of Ferdowsi, and Iran’s transformation into a Shiite stronghold under the Safavids provide the key to understanding a country now standing at a geopolitical crossroads.
Paper tiger
The great mystery surrounding this brilliant victory over Iran is the discrepancy between Iran’s image and potential as a regional superpower and the...
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