Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Israel’s War, Western Deception, and Iran’s Restraint
By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam
18 June 2025
The Imperial Narrative Behind Operation Rising Lion
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Western media and political elites continue to push a misleading narrative: that Iran is the aggressor, Israel acts in self-defence, and diplomacy is king. But the conflict that erupted on 12 June 2025 tells a very different story. It lays bare a campaign of imperial propaganda, designed to justify war crimes, derail diplomacy, and shield U.S.–Israeli aggression from accountability.
The War Israel Started
On June 12, Israel launched a coordinated aerial assault on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, including targets in Tehran, Natanz, and key missile depots. Dozens of senior Iranian commanders and six nuclear scientists were killed. The campaign, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, was neither defensive nor pre-emptive—it was a deliberate act of war.
At the time, Iran had been preparing for what it believed would be a breakthrough in nuclear diplomacy. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to meet Iranian negotiators in Oman on 14 June, and backchannel discussions had pointed toward renewed dialogue.
Instead, Israeli strikes shattered that momentum—and worse, an Iranian negotiator was assassinated by Israeli operatives. This was not a strike to prevent war. It was a strike to prevent peace.
“Rising Lion”: Military Campaign or Regal Coup?
Israel framed the assault as a necessary pre-emption. But the name of the operation tells another story.
The phrase Rising Lion is steeped in monarchical symbolism. The Lion and Sun emblem adorned Iran’s national flag under the Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1979. Today, it remains a symbol closely associated with Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted Shah and figurehead of monarchist opposition.
Far from coincidental, this branding aligns the operation with a broader agenda: not just to contain Iran’s nuclear program, but to overthrow the Islamic Republic and pave the way for a Western-aligned monarchy.
A Coup by Another Name
Israeli officials deny regime change is the goal. Yet the facts tell a different story. The targeting of senior IRGC officers, nuclear scientists, and a member of Iran’s negotiating team—while simultaneously encouraging Iranian uprisings—points to a broader destabilization strategy.
This was not a surgical strike on infrastructure. It was a proxy-led coup, packaged in military terms and sanitized by the Western press.
Diplomacy as a Shield for War
The deeper tragedy lies in the use of diplomacy as cover. Mere hours before the bombing began, U.S. diplomats hinted at progress. Yet the moment diplomacy threatened to bear fruit, Israel struck.
This sequence isn’t new—it follows a grim pattern:
1. Peace talks begin or appear imminent.
2. Israel strikes, often with tacit or open U.S. support.
3. Western media inverts the narrative: Iran attacked first.
4. The U.S. offers Israel diplomatic cover, sanctions Iran, and resets the status quo.
Now, even assassination of a negotiator is treated as a footnote. The implication is chilling: peace itself is the threat, and those pursuing it are expendable.
Warped Legal Narratives
To justify its actions, Israel invokes “pre-emptive self-defence”—a phrase stripped of legal meaning when no imminent threat exists.
Iran remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has continued cooperation with the IAEA. No credible evidence suggests it was preparing an attack. The legal case for Israel’s strike simply does not exist.
Yet many in the West, including in the U.S. Congress, rushed to praise Israel’s actions as “necessary” while denying American involvement—despite clear links to Pentagon technology and Mossad–CIA cooperation in intelligence sharing.
Iran’s Restraint
Iran’s response was measured: a limited missile strike on Israeli military targets, with efforts made to avoid civilian areas. Few Western-aligned states would show such restraint after a surprise attack and the murder of diplomats.
Yet in predictable fashion, Western outlets once again portrayed Iran as the aggressor.
Repeating the Imperial Pattern
What happened on 12 June is not an anomaly. It is part of a longer strategy of imperial sabotage:
• Undermine peace before it can take hold.
• Assassinate credibility—literally and politically.
• Frame retaliation as aggression.
• Use law selectively—weaponising it for friends, ignoring it for foes.
Accountability, Not Propaganda
The latest Israel–Iran escalation was neither pre-emptive nor justified. It was a reckless campaign, cloaked in the language of security but aimed at destroying diplomacy and changing regimes.
It’s time to reject the false narratives that protect power and punish peace. That means:
• Refusing to accept “self-defence” claims without evidence.
• Holding Israel accountable for targeted killings and illegal strikes.
• Ending U.S. complicity—military, financial, and diplomatic.
• Recognizing Iran’s legal standing, measured response, and ongoing commitment to diplomacy.
Until Western media and governments confront their role in enabling war, the world will continue to mistake aggression for security, and propaganda for truth.
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A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/israel-war-western-deception-iran-restraint/d/135909
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