The ‘Trumyahu’ Crusade

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says the US attacked Iran 'pre-emptively' after learning of Israeli plans to attack Israel that would trigger retaliation against American forces, and the US targeted missiles, not the regime. This should get Rubio the top spot in international buffoonery – who is he trying to fool? Despite the charade of differences between US President Donald Trump and Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu both are like twins, sharing every detail. American attacks on Iranian missiles were as ineffective as Trump’s claim in the State of the Union address of obliterating Iran’s nuclear program. Rubio’s claim regime was not the target indicates his brain may have dislocated.

The Trump-Netanyahu joint war can be termed “Trumyahu’ crusade” against the Middle East (not Iran alone); aimed at capitalizing the Shia-Sunni strife that began with Prophet Mohammed’s death in 632 AD and Iran having already announced it will retaliate against US bases. But diplomacy was never planned to succeed; the progress in Oman in the last round of talks had to be killed.

Trump is mum on the loss of a USD 220 million MQ-4C Triton over the Straits of Hormuz, not knowing if Iran electronically captured it; similar to capturing the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone on December 4, 2011. Kuwait shot down three US F-15E fighter jets on March 2, 2026 using advanced PATRIOT surface-to-air missile systems (PAC-3 MSE and upgraded PAC-2) in friendly fire? As of now six US service members have been killed and at least 18 seriously wounded. Iran announced complete destruction of the AN/FPS-132 radar in Qatar; with a 5,000 km range, its vital function was to detect ballistic missile launches from Iran, Russia and China.

Branding the Iranian regime and the IRGC evil, Trump forgot bombings don’t kill terrorism. He is the one who crafted handing back Afghanistan to Taliban after 20 years - with the help of Pakistan in Doha, Qatar being the top financier of global terrorism. Trump also forgot importance of drones in the Ukraine war. According to the IRGC, “The American base in Arifjan in Kuwait was targeted by 12 drones. The US military command and control centre in the UAE was targeted by six drones and five ballistic missiles. The remaining facilities of the US naval fleet in Bahrain were destroyed by six drones. The tanker ‘Aten nova’ (of a US ally) is still burning in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by two drones.” Saudi Arabia’s oil refinery was also hit. Iran's Shahed drone travelled 2,000-km across the Mediterranean Sea and struck the British RAF Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus without NATO air defences detecting it. The IRGC has warned the US will no longer be safe. Trump now says he expects the war to last several weeks. 

The Carter Doctrine of 1980 laid out that the US would use force to defend access to Persian Gulf oil. The Strait of Hormuz is  heavily militarized and the US maintains a large naval force in the region. Trump is boasting of knocking off 10 ships and the IRGC has said it will attack ships in these Straits. But oil flow through the Straits of Hormuz is reduced drastically. War risk underwriters are canceling policies for strait transits; baseline war risk sits at 0.25% percent of hull value. For a hundred-million-dollar tanker that is 250,000 dollars per voyage. At peak escalation rates, one million per transit. Vessels linked to American or Israeli interests are becoming uninsurable entirely, and more can be read here. 

Trump really can’t keep the Straits of Hormuz open, if the insurance underwriter wants otherwise. Same for already spiralling oil prices. The UAE will run out of food in a week;  90% of their food comes through the Straits of Hormuz, which are now closed. With the Qatar refinery shut down, the EU is considering buying more oil from Russia.

There is talk of America putting boots on ground in Iran and Netanyahu has mobilized this army and cancelled all leave. The question is which boots? Will Europe supply manpower? Britain has said it will not join this war and its bases can only be used for defensive purposes. The IRGC has spilt into 31 Independent Regiments for guerrilla warfare and provincial commanders have autonomous authority to act - Decentralized Mosaic Defence; surprise attacks everywhere with drones, suicide squads, you name it (https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/iran-activates-decentralized-mosaic-defense-irgc-splits-into-31-independent-regiment-for-guerrilla-hell-provincial-commanders-get-free-rein-what-happens-next-in-strait-of-hormuz-173392/). Trump’s grand design of rejuvenating al-Qaeda by training Syrian fighters in Turkey for using them in the Middle East has fallen apart with anti US-Israel protests in Istanbul. Large number of US and Israel military casualties would unseat Trump and Netanyahu. Trump’s call for Iranians to come out in the streets has gone kaput with the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei. The mood in Iran is of martyrdom, exacerbated by the bombings of hospitals and a girls school, more so when US and Israel pride themselves in precision strikes. It is not just Mossad agents in custody of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, but Netanyahu is in panic with Saudi Arabia figuring out  that Israel executed a false flag on their oil fields to blame Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince MBS telephonically discussed the US-Israel armed aggression against Iran, implications of which are evident .

Democrat Senator John Reed said the US doesn’t have enough munitions for a long war. But now America’s interceptor stocks are drastically reduced and Trump is considering relocating  THAAD and Patriot systems from South Korea to the Middle East.

According to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: Rubio admits America entered a war on behalf of Israel. There was never a so-called Iranian “threat.” Therefore, the responsibility for the bloodshed of both American and Iranian people lies with those who advocate the “Israel First” mentality. The American people deserve better and should regain control of their country.

It is amusing to see the US still claiming control of Iranian airspace when Iranian missiles and drones are hitting all over. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said he is ready to provide Iran with missiles (if requested) saying one missile is enough to erase Israel - nuclear and ballistic arsenal?

There is speculation Pakistan may strike Iran for violating Saudi airspace.

But can Pakistan withstand Iranian hypersonic weapons. Besides, Saudi Arabia now understands who the culprits are. Same goes for the news about the EU defensive strikes – will they strike Iran or defend their own territory? Spain has asked the US to vacate its bases and some US aircraft have already left.

The general belief is that Trump-Netanyahu has opened a pandora’s box from which there is no easy way out. Jeffery Sachs says the Trump administration continues to lie and regime change is not that easy. According to Scott Ritter, this war could end US power in the Middle East while  Douglas Macgregor says a new world order is emerging in which Iran will win and Israel may not survive.

The bottom line is Middle East understands ‘Trumyahu’ crusade is a war of civilizations;  Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, saying in February 2026 that Israel would accept control of a vast portion of the Middle East and Rubio’s call at the recent Munich Security Conference for Europeans to join the US in restoring Western dominance, indicates Trump’s future plans.

India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar, architect of India’s defunct regional policy (break from Iran included), embracing Taliban and installing a Taliban ambassador in New Delhi who first met the radical Yunus regime in Bangladesh, and bending backwards to the US with India seizing Iranian oil tankers, is shocked with the US-supported Pakistan bombing Taliban. He is busy telephoning all over but can’t anymore brag about India’s strategic autonomy, which India surrendered in face of the US-Israel war on Iran. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for restraint has the same value as UN Secretary General António Guterres calling for it.  But Modi’s unequivocal support to Israel, and no sympathy for bombings of Iranian hospitals and schools (leave aside assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei) indicates supports Israel killing 73,0000+ Palestinians since October 2023 in Gaza (of which Hamas is only a part), Israel continuing operations in Gaza despite a ceasefire and the brutal expansion in West Bank despite UN condemnation. There is no doubt Israel has been one of the best friends of India. But it is also a fact that previous Netanyahu regimes permitted money bags from Qatar for Hamas pass through Israel. The irony is that Israel had   intelligence in advance of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack but   border units were not alerted by design to get an excuse for invading Gaza. Therefore, the blood of Israelis killed that fateful day, including those killed in helicopter fire on an open area concert, is also on the hands of Israel’s hierarchy. Netanyahu can hardly absolve himself from this. That’s why Israel’s opposition is demanding an independent inquiry into happenings of that fateful day. Netanyahu also faces corruption charges which Trump wants Israel’s judiciary to waive off. 

Trump’s warmongering is being attributed to divert attention from the Epstein Files. Has India also surrendered its strategic autonomy due to the Epstein Files? According to BJP’s Subramanian Swamy, a major scandalous event may take place in India arising from Epstein - a US provider of women from many nations including from India.

One comment on this post is that the scandal has already begun and we may witness a scandal like Pulwama.

As to the ‘Trumyahu’ crusade, the ball is in Trump’s court – what he plans for the Middle East in his gold-plated toilet, pictures of which he posted on Truth Social. 

The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views offered are personal and do not reflect the views of The Strategic Perspective.