The assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not simply another headline in an already blood-soaked region. He has been killed by the US and Israel choosing to strike at the very heart of Iran’s leadership – a calculated act openly acknowledged by both, who made little effort to conceal their coordination in targeting the man who had led Iran since 1989. The confirmation that followed from Tehran only deepened what much of the world had already begun to process on Saturday: a seismic shift has taken place. In Pakistan, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has expressed solidarity with the Iranian people, extending condolences and calling it martyrdom. But beyond official statements, there is a broader sense that something far greater than the loss of a political and spiritual leader has occurred. This is a martyrdom that can shake the world. Iran’s ambassador to the UN strongly criticised the US and Israel on Saturday, accusing them of waging a “war against the Charter of the UN” and also thanked Pakistan, Russia and China for what he called their “principled position” condemning the alleged unlawful acts. It is awful to see that most of the world has either looked sideways or taken Israel’s and the US’s side against Iran. This was not unexpected. But the muted response to the Ayatollah’s martyrdom from world leaders shows how the world order and international law have no value anymore. When targeted assassinations are justified as ‘pre-emptive’ and sovereignty is trampled without consequence, the very foundations of global governance stand exposed as hollow.
Expectedly, protests erupted across the world against the US and Israel on Sunday. Pakistan also saw protests outside US consulates, in which several people lost their lives. More investigations are required to determine how this tragic loss of life happened and who was responsible for this. It is evident to all that the grief over what happened in Iran on Saturday will not remain confined to Iran; it has reverberated across capitals, streets and communities that see in this attack not just a geopolitical strike, but an assault on dignity and self-determination. It had always been Israel’s dream to have a regime change in Iran, and the US under Trump sided with Netanyahu to make it come true. However, this will not be easy. The chain of command in Iran is still strong. It will not be possible, at least right away, to impose any pro-Israel stooge in Iran. Whether it happens eventually after a few years remains to be seen. What is certain is that the Iranian state, forged in decades of sanctions and isolation, has demonstrated resilience that outside powers have repeatedly underestimated. Observers say the US may eventually get out of this war as it is taking some hits at the hands of the Iranians. Three US service members were killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran. It is quite clear that the US did not really think this through and has become part of a war it has avoided for decades. Now whether it will be easy to get out of this unscathed is another matter altogether. For Israel, the dream of ‘Greater Israel’ starts from the fall of Tehran. But the mess that this has made – be it the Middle East, West Asia, South Asia and even the world – will be too big to handle for anyone. Destabilising Iran is not a contained operation; it is a spark in a region layered with sectarian, ethnic and geopolitical fault lines.
For Pakistan, this poses another challenge vis-a-vis Balochistan. That Baloch separatists will likely come out in support of Israel will hardly be surprising. The Modi-Netanyahu nexus is obviously at play here. The plan to balkanise Iran will also have an impact on Pakistan. We have to be very careful and cautious in how we handle this precarious situation. So far, Pakistan has done well diplomatically while taking a principled stand on Iran. But the next few years will be tough – not just for us, but for all the countries around Iran. A martyrdom that shakes the world is not an isolated event. It is a turning point. The question is whether the world will correct its course or continue down a path where power alone decides who lives, who dies and which laws matter.
