P Chidambaram writes: He who started war must stop

War exposes every country and everyone. When Russia invaded Ukraine, India did not condemn it but said, “This is not an era of war.” Such homilies were absent when the US abducted President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. They are conspicuously absent in the current war in West Asia

The consequences of the ill-conceived war against Iran that was started by the United States and Israel on February 28 are worldwide and far reaching.

In two weeks of Operation Epic Fury, Iran has been devastated but not defeated. Its first line of leadership, including Ayatollah Khamenei, was wiped out on the first day of the war. Iran has scrambled to elect a new leader and put in place a new military leadership: the US-Israel axis has declared they will be eliminated too. Tehran, Sanandaj, Isfahan and other major towns in Iran have been bombed and, so far, nearly 1,300 Iranians have been killed and over 10,000 injured. An American Tomahawk missile struck a school and killed 168 children and 14 teachers. What crime did they commit?

The extensive damage caused to Iran includes:

Leave out the nature of Iran’s regime, notably oppressive, but focus on the people. What have they done to deserve the devastation? The US, egged on by Israel, alleged that Iran had stockpiled enriched uranium and had nearly completed the development of nuclear weapons. Mr Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner were deputed to hold talks on behalf of the US with Iran, enabled by Qatar. Apprehending the start of a war, Oman’s foreign minister rushed to Washington to assure the US that Iran had agreed to “zero stockpiling of enriched uranium” and had vowed to “never, ever possess nuclear weapons.” Brushing aside the assurance, President Trump abruptly terminated the talks and ordered the attack on Iran.

Iran may be a threat to Israel’s expansionism but it is no threat to the United States. After Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 — an illegal attack — the US had claimed that “Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities had been totally obliterated”. Despite Midnight Hammer, if Iran had nearly developed nuclear weapons, where are they? Did the US ask the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog, to inspect Iran and report on the development of nuclear weapons? What authority does the US have to decide which country shall or shall not possess nuclear weapons? Will the US decide to intervene and ‘obliterate’ the nuclear capability of India, Pakistan or North Korea?

Israel has enemies in the West Asian region. That goes back to the creation of Israel in land that belonged to the Palestinians. Nevertheless, over the years, the world including Islamic countries have accepted the reality of Israel. Although India voted against the Partition Plan for Palestine (1947), subsequently, India recognised the State of Israel in September 1950 and full diplomatic relations were established in 1992. The relationship has flourished in trade, military cooperation and intelligence-sharing. India was a voice of moderation in the West Asia conflicts — until now. Lately, India has become a partisan as witnessed by India’s support on March 12, 2026 to a UN Security Council resolution condemning Iran alone. When Israel’s prime minister spoke of the ‘Hexagon’ of alliances including India, Greece and Cyprus, and Arab, African and Mediterranean countries against “the radical Shia alliance and the emerging radical Sunni alliance”, India did not utter a word of protest.

Mr Trump’s goalposts have shifted from denuclearisation of Iran to obliterating Iran’s military capabilities to regime change to unconditional surrender. Expectedly, his call to the people of Iran to ‘take over your government. It will be yours to take” fell flat.

Thanks to Mr Trump’s adventurism, oil prices have soared beyond USD 100 per barrel. Inflation in the US and disaffection with the Trump Administration are rising. Movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz which is under Iran’s control has effectively stopped. In India, LPG cylinders have become scarce and prices were hiked sharply. Stock markets throughout the world have tanked. It is estimated that the war is costing USD 2 billion every day. The human cost of the war is incalculable.

War is brutal, futile and stupid, said the celebrated soldier, General Dwight Eisenhower. Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago, but is unable to win the war. Meanwhile, Russian debt has soared, oil revenues have declined, and the Russian army has to employ mercenaries. In Iran, there is no sign of the US pausing the war. Since this war is fought by machines, as long as the machines are in supply, the US can continue the war.

When a country starts a war, it must know when to stop. War exposes every country and everyone. When Russia invaded Ukraine, India did not condemn it but said “This is not an era of war.” Such homilies were absent when the US abducted President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. They are conspicuously absent in the current war in West Asia.

There are racial and religious undercurrents to the US/Israel-Iran war. Israel has turned out to be an imperialist country. By collaborating with Israel, the US is disowning every principle on which it was founded. Alas, India’s self-goals have reduced the country to a trembling supplicant before those who believe ‘might is right’.