American writer Thomas Friedman believes that the comprehensive Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure is added to the critical list of wars that changed the rules of the game and has reshaped the Middle East region since World War II.
Friedman – in an article for the New York Times – explained that the wars that it means are events that have become only known for its dates: 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, 2023, and now 2025.
He said that it is too early to know the possible repercussions of the current attack on the course of events in the Middle East, but it is more likely that things go in two completely contradictory directions, one of which was considered very positive and is “toppling the Iranian regime and replacing it with a more fit, secular and consensual system”, and the other is very negative, which is the ignition of the entire region and entry US On the crisis line.
Solve the middle
And between these two extremes, the American writer – with liberal inclinations – does not rule out a temporary negotiating compromise, based on the fact that the attack is a message from the American President Donald Trump To the Iranians: “I am still ready to negotiate a peaceful end to your nuclear program, and you may want it quickly … I am waiting for your call.”
In the details of the repercussions and connotations of the Israeli attack on Iran, Friedman believes that what makes the conflict between Iran And Israel To this extent, Israel is seeking to continue fighting this time so that it can completely eliminate Iranian nuclear program
In this regard, the writer stated that Israel was aiming at its weapon towards the Iranian nuclear program several times during the past 15 years, but every time it was declining at the last minute either under American pressure and because of its lack of confidence in its military capabilities, and then what is happening now may be considered a natural result of that Israeli endeavor.
Fertilization
Regarding the direct practical results of the Israeli attack, Friedman believes that if Israel succeeds in damaging the Iranian nuclear project enough to force it to stop enrichment, even at least temporarily, then this would represent a major military gain for Israel.
But the important thing – in the opinion of the American writer – is the potential impact of the conflict on the Middle East region, especially on what he describes as “wicked Iranian influence” in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, where Tehran sponsored and armed local militias to indirectly control those countries.
Friedman said that the decline in Iranian influence in the region began with the decision of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – The International Criminal Court is required for war crimes- by beheading the militia head Hezbollah He paralyzed it, and one of its results in Lebanon and Syria was the formation of pluralistic governments and the recovery of a state of hope, even though the two countries are still in weak.
Good intelligence information
The writer also commented on Netanyahu’s behavior, and said that at the regional level he behaves without adhering to ideological or political restrictions, but in his internal dealings with the Palestinian side, his decisions, especially the prevention of the establishment of a Palestinian state, are affected by his desire to remain in power by relying on the extreme right, and therefore, the Israeli army drowned in sands Gaza The animation, and the writer described this as “an ethical, economic and strategic catastrophe.”
In the details of the Israeli attack, the writer asked: “How was Israeli intelligence information about Iran so good that it has identified and killed the sites of a number of senior Iranian military leaders and officers?”
The writer believes that the answer to this question is found in the series “Tehran”, which is broadcast by “Apple TV Plus” about an Israeli agent of the Mossad in Tehran.
We are ready to work with Israel
From that series, Friedman extracts the readiness of many Iranian officials to work for Israel, due to their severe hatred of their government, and this facilitates Israel to recruit agents in the government and the Iranian army at the highest levels.
But if Israel fails in this military operation and the Iranian regime comes out wounded and later managed to restore its ability to build a nuclear weapon, then the possible scenario in the eyes of the writer is a long -term war of drain between the two most powerful army in the region, and thus the continuation of the state of turmoil and the exacerbation of the oil crisis, and perhaps Iran’s attacking Arab regimes loyal to America and American forces in the region.
The writer concluded that in this case, President Donald Trump’s administration will not remain directly to intervene directly, not only to end that war, but to eliminate the Iranian regime, and this is a scenario that no one can predict its consequences.
On the future of the Middle East, the writer explains that the most important lessons can be extracted from history: that Iran -like systems remain strong until they lose their strength and collapse quickly.
As for the second lesson, according to Friedman, it is that the end of tyranny in the Middle East does not necessarily mean democracy, but rather the alternative may be a long disturbance.
Finally, as much as the writer speaks of his desire for the fall of the Iranian regime, he warns of the repercussions of this.