GOA, India - President Trump has claimed victory in a war that turned out disastrous for the U.S., Israel and its allies. As Reuters put it tersely: “Trump has seesawed on Iran, crediting the U.S. military for significantly degrading Iran's military but resisting a speedy end to the conflict.” Trump cannot save face even as he tries to hide the defeat.

The conflict, which began February 28, 2026, followed a joint U.S.-Israel operation, resulting in significant, sustained retaliation from Iran, including ballistic missile strikes. 

These are days of high-end technology and even attempts to hide the truth have utterly faltered. You can sit in faraway India, in Argentina, or some remote corner of the world - and watch Israel and the Persian Gulf countries being pummeled in locations wherever U.S. interests are located. Trump is not expected to admit to the Americans that his latest gamble immensely backfired especially after he underplayed his loss of personnel. His claim that just seven of his armed forces were killed is a wild untruth. The truth is somewhere in the region of 100+. 

No one is surprised that he now claims victory. His egoistical make-up is of the variety that will not allow him or the bunch of advisors in his close cabinet to speak the truth. They have to finally obey the dictator. 

His advisors have also been lying to the American people. They have claimed each day that Iran would be punished as never before the next day. Hogwash, as it turns out to be! The U.S. really wants to shut down the war. 

Pride will not allow them to sound like losers- which is what they have ended up being. The U.S. bases all over the Persian Gulf have been destroyed and guesses are that they will never be reinvited again to the region. This war has exposed them as a liability and not a protector. Iran has shown who is the boss in the region. A distant America can barely help them. For long, they thought they had a formidable alliance in Israel. Now that has proved untrue. 

Israelis have also had to eat humble pie. Television footage showed Israelis on the street were heard to be pleading: “Sorry Iran, please”. And these were not AI images. Experts took just a quick glance and affirmed that they were real. 

Israel is facing Iran’s massive, multi-front escalation, that include intense, near-constant rocket and missile barrages from Iran and Hezbollah, disrupting life across the country, particularly in the north and Tel Aviv. Residents are frequently taking shelter, schools are closed, and significant damage is reported. The devasting scenes prompted the question: Is this Gaza? 

Following the U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Iran's spiritual and political leader, Iran and its allies launched a blistering set of massive and coordinated strikes. The “Epic Fury” came not from the U.S. and Israel but from Iran and its alliances. Regime change was the desired outcome. It took less than a week for Iran to select their new leader in a show of consensus. The killing of Ayatollah Khamenei unified the Iranians. It created a situation for frantic U.S. commanders to seek desperate options. 

Hezbollah has "pummeled" northern Israel with rockets and drones, stalling recovery efforts and forcing residents to flee. Life has been severely disrupted, with air raid sirens active in Tel Aviv and thousands of soldiers out on reserve duty.

Israel has conducted a heavy air campaign against Hezbollah and Iran. The counterfire from Iran was characterized as a "fiery blitz," severely testing Israel's defense capabilities. While the conflict between Iran and Israel has intensified, there are claims that Netanyahu has disappeared after a missile hit a compound where he was sheltering. It is for four days that he has not been sighted. Similarly, reports about the death of Iddo Netanyahu remain unverified, with some international outlets suggesting he died in a car accident rather than an attack. Such reports could either be false, or ones that the victim side prefers to keep concealed. 

The guessing game will drag on but cannot remain concealed permanently. 

Iran’s President Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to peace in West Asia. But he asserted that the only way to end the war were for the U.S. and Israel to accept three terms unconditionally. He reminded the world that the war was ignited by the “Zionist regime” and the United States. These non-negotiable conditions communicated by President Pezeshkian include:  

* That the U.S. and Israel acknowledge Iran’s sovereign rights and its legitimate rights in the region.

* The U.S. grant compensation for the damages incurred in the conflict.

* Iran insists on binding international assurances to prevent future military aggression by the U.S. and Israel.

The Iranian government maintains it did not start the war and prefers diplomacy, but vows to continue fighting if these conditions are not met. Iran maintains that the war was "ignited by the Zionist regime and the U.S." 

Ranjan Solomon is a freelance writer focussed on questions of global and local/national justice. Since the First Intifada in 1987, Solomon has stayed in close solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom from Israeli occupation, and the cruel apartheid system.