By N.S. Venkataraman* The decades-long enmity between Iran and Israel is well-documented, but historically, their direct confrontations have been brief, constrained by the logistical and economic limitations of sustained warfare. The current conflict in the Middle East, however, marks a radical and dangerous departure from this pattern.
The intervention of the United States—a military and economic superpower—alongside Israel has transformed a regional friction into a global catastrophe. While the Middle East suffers under the weight of mounting casualties and shattered infrastructure, the United States remains insulated. The root cause of this intensified war lies in Washington, yet the daily lives of American citizens remain untouched by the violence their government facilitates abroad.
Global opinion has reached a consensus: the President of the United States bears primary responsibility for escalating this conflict to its current, devastating extent. It is an inescapable reality that Israel could not sustain a war of this intensity without the continuous flow of American military and financial aid. This intervention has now triggered a seismic disruption in the world’s energy supply.
Global opinion has reached a consensus: the President of the United States bears primary responsibility for escalating this conflict to its current, devastating extent. It is an inescapable reality that Israel could not sustain a war of this intensity without the continuous flow of American military and financial aid. This intervention has now triggered a seismic disruption in the world’s energy supply.
Israel’s targeting of Iran’s South Pars gas field, coupled with retaliatory strikes on Qatari LNG facilities, has knocked out significant global export capacity. Experts estimate it will take three to five years to restore these facilities, resulting in an annual loss of millions of tonnes of LNG. With the UAE’s Habshan gas facility shuttered and Kuwaiti refineries ablaze, the world is facing a prolonged energy vacuum.
The fallout extends far beyond the gas pump; a global food security crisis is looming. As natural gas and crude oil are the primary feedstocks for fertilizer, production is expected to plummet over the next three years. Agricultural giants like India, Thailand, and Brazil—which rely heavily on the Gulf for urea imports—will be hit hardest. Ironically, the Gulf states themselves will face acute hunger, given their extreme dependence on imports for staples like rice, corn, and soy.
On close scrutiny, there is no moral or legal justification for this expanded war. The central American pretext—that Iran is developing nuclear warheads—remains unproven. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful energy, and even the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated it lacks evidence of weaponization.
The fallout extends far beyond the gas pump; a global food security crisis is looming. As natural gas and crude oil are the primary feedstocks for fertilizer, production is expected to plummet over the next three years. Agricultural giants like India, Thailand, and Brazil—which rely heavily on the Gulf for urea imports—will be hit hardest. Ironically, the Gulf states themselves will face acute hunger, given their extreme dependence on imports for staples like rice, corn, and soy.
On close scrutiny, there is no moral or legal justification for this expanded war. The central American pretext—that Iran is developing nuclear warheads—remains unproven. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful energy, and even the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated it lacks evidence of weaponization.
Consequently, the U.S. President’s primary casus belli falls flat. Analysts instead view this aggression as part of a broader, unsettling pattern of American expansionism, citing recent military interventions in Venezuela, claims over Greenland, and rhetoric suggesting the annexation of Canada and Cuba. This bellicosity is mirrored in the economic sphere, where the unilateral imposition of trade tariffs has flouted WTO regulations and destabilized global markets.
The current U.S. administration was elected on the promise to "Make America Great Again" (MAGA). However, the strategy for achieving this goal appears increasingly skewed toward a narrow, predatory self-interest that ignores international accountability.
As the Middle East war chokes global oil and gas supplies, causing prices to skyrocket, the United States—as a major producer—stands to become the primary economic beneficiary. This suggests a cynical reality: MAGA is being implemented at the direct expense of the rest of the world’s stability.
There is a palpable and growing displeasure across the globe regarding this approach. The U.S. President may believe he can have his way through sheer force, but he must eventually reckon with the weight of international opinion.
There is a palpable and growing displeasure across the globe regarding this approach. The U.S. President may believe he can have his way through sheer force, but he must eventually reckon with the weight of international opinion.
As American businesses and citizens interact with a world increasingly embittered by these policies, they will find that isolationism and aggression carry a heavy social and economic price. If the world is driven to despair for the next three years, the United States will find it difficult to remain a "great" nation in the eyes of a suffering global community.
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*Trustee, Nandini Voice For The Deprived, Chennai
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