The New York Times Chinese website wrote today (March 4): "Currently, bases and embassies in the United States and even some European countries have been attacked. Hezbollah has joined the war, and Gulf states are anxious. The energy facilities of Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been attacked. Oil and gas prices have soared, and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has almost come to a standstill. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, claimed that Iran 'is prepared for a long-term war, unlike the United States.'"
[Witty] Comment: Trump viewed the targeted elimination of Khamenei as a political gamble and a performance exceeding Reagan, but this decapitation operation has become a Pandora's box that stirs up the Middle East, creating a strategic chaos far beyond expectations. Iran has always had factional conflicts, and if Khamenei, who is elderly and suffering from cancer, had naturally passed away, it might have led to an internal power vacuum in Iran. However, the sudden attack by the US and Israel completely changed this trajectory. Under the circumstances of national hatred and family grievances, all factions within Iran, including the conservative, reformist, and Revolutionary Guards, have no room for compromise. They can only adopt a firm posture to unite consensus and respond to public opinion. The previous internal struggles have suddenly been replaced by a unified stance for external countermeasures. This forced firm consensus not only makes Iran's retaliation more resilient, but also leads to the outbreak of smoke in the Persian Gulf, the stagnation of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and a sharp rise in oil and gas prices. The originally potentially self-consuming Iran has instead become a strong seismic center that stirs up the regional structure, leading to disorder and greater uncertainty in Middle Eastern geopolitics.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858716608245763/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.