NOBODY would be able to assert that the American air strikes at three of Iran’s nuclear sites have served their military as well as political purpose fully. Though the United States military headquarter Pentagon has stressed that the strikes have served their intended purpose, it is not possible to fathom correctly how Iran would react to the three precise strikes that have destroyed the nuclear sites at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz. There are reasons to believe that the three American strikes have damaged Iran’s nuclear-strike capabilities to a great extent. Yet, statedly fighting a civilisational war, Iran may resort to something extreme and push the world deeper into an expanding conflict. If that happens, then the American strikes may prove counter-productive in the long run. These fears, of course, may be only notional, in the sense the American masterminds must have assessed correctly Iran’s long-term nuclear capabilities before undertaking those precise strikes.

 

At least for now, Iran may find itself pushed back to the wall. True, the world is now harping upon diplomacy to end the conflict, and some positive steps may be taken in that direction in the days to come. However, the success of any diplomatic solution will depend upon the extent of damage the American strikes have caused to the Iranian nuclear sites. Time and again, Iranian experts have often claimed that it would be nearly impossible for any power to damage the Fordo nuclear enrichment site since it has been embedded very deep -- 200-plus-feet into the mountain with multi-layered protection. The US strikes precisely set their sights on that seemingly impregnable target and statedly succeeded in their mission. If the US claims are valid, then the damage to the Fordo site must be really massive. For, the Americans used B-2 Stealth bombers and 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb, which President Mr. Donald Trump described as most lethal and challenging operation in decades.

 

Fortunately, Iranian and world experts have stated that at least until now, there are no indications of nuclear radiation from the damaged sites. Yet, Iran also asserted that there was no red-line that the US did not cross and admitted officially that three sites were attacked and damaged. It is unfortunate that the West Asian conflict is nowhere near its end. The trouble actually began when terror outfit Hamas launched thousands of missiles and drones on Israel and Israel started hitting back. And as that conflict escalated to Iran as well. By all measures, the conflict has pushed the world to a very dangerous point that calls for immediate halting of hostilities at any cost. If that does not happen, very ominous possibilities would open themselves up on the world in the next some time. The actual trouble with the West Asian conflict is that it has become a very serious civilisational issue. No matter what history states, a major segment of Islamic world does not want to accept the reality of Israel.

 

Though many Islamic regimes are beginning to show readiness to accommodate Israel into the international arrangement, there are many others whose religious sensibilities do not accept existence of Israel. Naturally, then, Israel has to keep fighting a war for its sheer survival. This is, in the nut-shell, the quintessence of West Asian conflict. It is obvious that the US chose to undertake the strikes at three Iranian nuclear sites with the purpose of limiting Tehran’s ability to continue the hostilities. The American assessment that with its nuclear capabilities severely restricted, Iran might not push harder and may be restrained in the next some time. If this assessment proves right, then the hostilities may remain under check. If that does not happen, then the world may see a serious escalation of hostilities.