Updated on April 20, 2026.
Current negotiations are at a standstill, as is maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Nuclear enrichment and weapons seem to be the central issue. This feels off, because:
- a souvereign nation has the right to defend itself, and
- nuclear weapons are defensive by nature, as claimed by all the countries that possess them.
Therefore, the issue is not nuclear weapons but Iran's policy which states that Israel has no right to exist. Thus, a regime change is indicated. If Iran abandons its policy stance, recognizes Israel, and opens diplomatic relations with both the US and Israel, it can then go about defending itself.
Context
The armed forces of Israel and the United States have attacked Iran. Neither has formally declared war. Every sovereign nation has the right to defend itself. One of the defensive moves Iran has made was to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel
Iran has consistently maintained the position and policy that Israel has no right to exist. Obviously, Israel has a problem with this, especially as the Iranian regime openly sponsors its various proxies to wreak havoc on Israel — Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, etc.
While often seen from the outside as imperialistic for its incursions into Lebanon and Gaza, as well as the killing of civilian Palestinians, Israel's rhetoric is, "We just want to be left alone and live in peace." Israel claims that hey were neutralizing threats from one of the aforementioned Hs.
The United States
The US' problem with Iran is not the Ayatollahs, or Islam, or theocracy in general, but the fact that Iran was and is willing to sell its oil in currencies other than the US dollar. The US cannot tolerate this, hence the reason for removing Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and Saddam Hussein of Iraq from power. The US must defend the dollar hegemony and the rule of the petrodollar.
So far, Donald Trump has declared victory seven times, yet the bombings continue. Trump has also said that he wants a say in who will lead the next Iranian government, which would require Iran's unconditional surrender. The US cannot ask for surrender, unless it has officially declared war, which requires an act of Congress.
Iran
