Sunday, 06 July 2025
The News Diplomats
By Muhibur Rahman :
Publish : 12:52 AM, 24 June 2025.
Digital Solutions Ltd

Behind the Ceasefire — Is the Iran–U.S. Conflict a Carefully Managed War Game?

Behind the Ceasefire — Is the Iran–U.S. Conflict a Carefully Managed War Game?

Publish : 12:52 AM, 24 June 2025.
By Muhibur Rahman :

On June 23, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a 12-hour ceasefire between Iran and Israel, calling it a success of “strong leadership.” But as smoke still rises from bombed Iranian nuclear sites and U.S. bases across the Middle East remain on high alert, one has to ask: was this really a war — or a show of force on both sides, choreographed like a carefully managed game?
Precision Bombing, Predictable Retaliation
The United States didn’t just “support” Israel this time. It took direct action by bombing Iran’s key nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. These weren’t speculative targets; they were symbolic and strategic. The goal, as stated, was to set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran’s reaction came swiftly — missile launches at U.S. bases in Qatar and possibly Iraq. Yet, notably, most of these missiles were intercepted. No casualties were reported. The U.S. response to the retaliation? Calm. No counter-counterattack. Just the announcement of a ceasefire.
It almost seems too neat: a strike, a response, a pause — and each side walking away with its dignity intact.
The Illusion of Escalation
To the outside world, this conflict appeared to teeter on the edge of all-out war. But the behavior of the parties involved tells a different story. If Iran truly believed the U.S. had launched an all-out assault, would it stop at limited retaliation? If the U.S. believed Iran was a threat worth bombing, why stop so quickly?
The uncomfortable answer may be this: neither side actually wants war. What they want is leverage — and spectacle. Israel reasserts its regional dominance. Iran shows it can hit back. The U.S. demonstrates global reach. Everyone gets what they need politically — at least temporarily — without plunging the region into a true catastrophe.
The Real Battlefield: Public Opinion and Political Gain
For President Trump, the strikes served two purposes: projecting power abroad and creating a distraction at home. The ceasefire allows him to present himself as a peacemaker after playing the warrior — a familiar script.
Iranian leaders, meanwhile, use limited retaliation to show strength without triggering uncontrollable escalation. The Iranian public sees the missiles flying — a patriotic image — even if few land.
It’s a delicate balancing act, where violence is calculated, responses are measured, and outcomes are pre-negotiated, if not formally, then through tacit understanding.
Civilians as Collateral in a Controlled Show
But this “game” has a brutal cost.
In Iran, hospitals were struck, critical medicine ran short, and the internet was cut to prevent panic.
In Israel, Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv and injured civilians, including children.
In Qatar, families near U.S. military bases feared for their lives as sirens wailed.
And in the broader Middle East, oil markets wobbled, fueling economic anxiety far beyond the conflict zone.
So even if the war was "managed," the pain was very real.
Strategic Theater, or Dangerous New Normal?
If this truly is a managed conflict — one where strikes are launched not to destroy the enemy, but to control the political narrative — then the world should be alarmed. Because managed wars have a tendency to spiral out of control. All it takes is one miscalculation, one missile that kills too many, one pilot that strays too far.
Worse, this pattern teaches future leaders that war is useful — as long as it's kept "small" and "media-friendly."
Peace Requires More Than a Pause
The 12-hour ceasefire is being marketed as peace. It is not. It is a timeout in a dangerous game where each side plays to win in the eyes of their own people, not for the future of the region.
If world leaders are serious about avoiding the next war, they must stop treating conflict as performance. The people of Iran, Israel, and the Middle East deserve more than dramatic headlines. They deserve real security — and that only comes when bombs stop being tools of strategy and start being seen for what they are: failure
The Guardian:
President Trump claims a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been agreed to
In a post on Truth Social, president Trump claims a 12-hr ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been reached. The ceasefire, he says, will begin in 6 hours.
He writes:
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!

Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL. On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.” This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”

MIDDLE EAST বিভাগের অন্যান্য খবর

শিরোনাম রাতের ভোট বনাম চাপাইনবাবগঞ্জ দৃষ্টান্ত শিরোনাম নির্বাচনব্যবস্থার পুরো নিয়ন্ত্রণে ছিলো এনএসআই-ডিজিএফআই শিরোনাম ঝুলে গেছে জাতীয় ঐক্যমত কমিশনের সংস্কার প্রক্রিয়া! শিরোনাম রাষ্ট্রতো আর মিষ্টির দোকান নয় শিরোনাম ৮ আগস্ট ‘নতুন বাংলাদেশ দিবস’ পালন থেকে সরে এলো সরকার শিরোনাম লালমনিরহাটে পরেশ চন্দ্র শীল ও ছেলে বিষ্ণুর অপরাধ কী?