As the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, the US military is also getting involved. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier has left the South China Sea and is heading west towards the Middle East region. In addition to the carrier, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Willard (DDG-54) (Figure 2), the USS Gridley (DDG-101) (Figure 3), and the USS Sigbee (DDG-123) are also heading to the Middle East.
With the US military's actions, the HMS Prince of Wales has already entered the Red Sea area. Now, there are 3 aircraft carriers and over 10 destroyers in the Middle East. Moreover, according to The Times of Israel, "at least 30" US Air Force tankers are crossing the Atlantic Ocean, reporting that this is an unprecedented transatlantic deployment by the US Air Force.
It seems that as Israel's air defense systems are being consumed, the US military also has no choice but to intervene in the Middle East. In fact, the US military has already intervened. Iran has obtained fragments of a US "Standard 3" interceptor missile, which means that when Iran's missile strikes on Israel occurred, the US military also intervened to intercept them.
The Middle East is at the core of America's global hegemony and can be considered its strategic lifeline. This central position stems from the "Big Three" system constructed by the US in the region — the deep interweaving of dollar hegemony, energy control, and geopolitical dominance. Although the US is geographically far from the Eurasian power center due to its location in North America, it has gained a strategic lever to move the entire Eurasian continent through its deep involvement in the Middle East, making it the "Achilles' heel" of American hegemony.
Firstly, the Middle East is the cornerstone of the dollar hegemony. In the 1970s, the US exchanged military protection for an agreement with Saudi Arabia to use the "petrodollar," stipulating that oil transactions must be settled in US dollars. Subsequently, all OPEC countries followed suit. This tied global oil trade to the dollar, forming the "petrodollar" circulation system. It not only consolidated the dollar's status as the global reserve currency but also gave the US the ability to control the global economy through financial policies. This mechanism ensures the continuous demand for the dollar globally, which is the core pillar of American financial hegemony.
Secondly, the Middle East is a strategic fulcrum for American geopolitical influence. The US implements the "offshore balancing" strategy here: on one hand, arming Israel as the regional "spearhead," utilizing its military advantages to suppress Arab countries and create security anxieties, forcing countries like Saudi Arabia to rely on US protection; on the other hand, building an alliance system with Iran as a common threat, deploying anti-missile networks to turn allies into outposts to contain Iran. The US Central Command oversees tens of thousands of troops and a massive air defense system in the region, forming a military network covering the Middle East.
All of these depend on Israel, the nail planted by the US in the Middle East. Therefore, the US and Israel are deeply intertwined. This is also why the US chose to send the Western Pacific carrier strike group to the Middle East.
In such critical moments, what is Iran doing? Iran remains mired in internal struggles. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has established a unique Islamic Republic system. However, Ayatollah Khomeini did not resolve internal contradictions and unify internal thoughts before the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, leading to internal divisions within Iran.
Facing long-term international isolation and sanctions, the political situation in Iran is not entirely consistent, gradually giving rise to different voices and factions. In general, the leadership of Iran is mainly divided into several factions: conservatives, reformists, moderates, pragmatists, and radicals. Among them, the conservatives and radicals have similar ideas about foreign policy, advocating a tough stance against Western countries like the US. Reformists and moderates, on the other hand, hope to improve relations with the US, seeking to ease international pressure and lift sanctions. Pragmatists hold a relatively flexible stance, leaning more toward the middle, and their specific alignment is sometimes unclear; however, it is worth noting that in recent years, pragmatists seem to be aligning more closely with the conservatives.
Although the Supreme Leader of Iran (currently Ayatollah Khamenei) has the highest and ultimate decision-making authority under the constitution, serving as the final arbiter of national political and religious affairs, the president, as the head of state and head of government, can substantially influence Iran's domestic and foreign policies. The ideas of the president and the Supreme Leader are not always aligned; sometimes they differ significantly. Historically, presidents like Rafsanjani and Rouhani, who were moderate or pragmatic, as well as reformist presidents like Khatami, have advocated contact with the West, easing relations, and promoting moderate social openness. These directions often do not align with the conservative and hardline stance represented by Supreme Leader Khamenei, and at times are even opposite.
This situation has also led to severe infiltration within Iran. The country's internal security system has been severely infiltrated, becoming the root cause of frequent assassinations of high-ranking officials and scientists. Israel has even accurately obtained data from Iran's nuclear facilities, smuggled nuclear documents out of the country, and publicly accused Iran's nuclear program at the United Nations. The recent Israeli massacre of senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and the killing of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah during talks with Iranian officials show that the intelligence network has been infiltrated to the decision-making level.
Including now, during the confrontation with Israel, Iran's external voice is also inconsistent. For example, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that he would completely destroy the Israeli regime, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakhi said that Iran is prepared to reach an agreement on abandoning and developing nuclear weapons. Arakhi further added that as long as Israel stops its aggressive behavior in the region, Iran will cease any attacks on Israel.
However, on the issue of abandoning nuclear weapons, Iran's external voice is also inconsistent. For instance, some Iranian officials have publicly stated that they intend to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Withdrawing from the treaty would be a significant escalation, as it would indicate that Iran is accelerating its enrichment program to produce weapons-grade uranium for the manufacture of nuclear bombs.
The internal strife has also affected the strikes on Israel. Both Israel and the US military find it difficult to intercept Iran's missile offensive, but Iran's missile offensive mostly targets buildings rather than core military targets such as airports, bases, and ports in Israel. This has allowed Israel's airstrikes on Iran to continue.
If Iran's internal ideological unification is not achieved soon, and when the US military gets involved, Iran might face a fate similar to Syria. Currently, Russia has announced the withdrawal of some citizens from Iran and suspended the consular operations of its embassy in Tehran.
All of this indicates that the Israel-Iran conflict is about to escalate!
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516461647658779151/
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