The Middle East is already on fire and US President Donald Trump has added petrol to it by demanding Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s unconditional surrender. A steady stream of signals suggests that US involvement in a wider conflict, on behalf of the Israeli government, may be imminent. B-2 bombers, capable of delivering the kind of payloads needed to strike Iran’s fortified bunkers, have been quietly stationed at Diego Garcia for months. Simultaneously, US personnel are withdrawing from key bases and embassies across the region. These are unmistakable signs of war preparations. Trump’s sudden departure from the G7 Summit in Canada only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict has once again revealed a little-known fact to many Indians as over 1,500 Indian students, mostly pursuing medical education, are currently in Iran. They are spread across multiple cities, not just in Tehran. The coming weeks may well define the future of West Asia, and perhaps the future of global geopolitics. It is imperative that voices of restraint and sovereignty prevail before it is too late.
