by B. R. GOWANI
In a thousand places
I come to an end
I burn
I become a fading star
that disappears
in your sky.”
Parnia Abbasi — Above verse were prophesied by the 23-year old poet who along with her parents and 16-year old brother were murdered in an Israeli missile attack which hit their home on 13 June 2025.
532 CE (the Colombian Era)
On June 13, 2025, Israel, a nuclear power <1>, attacked many military sites and nuclear institutes in Iran because, Israel alleges, Iran is making nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated, and war is still raging on. Israel has killed many nuclear scientists, military leaders, and civilians in Iran.
On June 16, G7 leaders meeting in Canada defended Israel’s right to attack stating “Israel has a right to defend itself” and “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
No one can question, “why can’t Iran have nuclear weapon when Israel has?”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supported Israel’s unprovoked illegal war against Iran, and told public broadcaster ZDF:
“This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us. I can only say that I have the utmost respect for the Israeli army and the Israeli leadership for having had the courage to do this.”
To ARD, another public broadcaster, Merz threatened Iran:
“It would be good if this [Iranian] regime came to an end.” “[If they refuse to talk, then] Israel will go all the way.”
Peter Schwarz describes G-7 leaders:
“[US’ Donald]Trump, [Germany’s Friedrich Merz, [Britain’s Keir] Starmer, [France’s Emmanuel] Macron, and other imperialist leaders behave like mafia bosses, threatening Ayatollah Khamenei and other Iranian leaders with murder, the use of bunker-busting weapons, and even nuclear bombs.”
It’s year 532 CE (the Colombian Era) and the conquest of the white men continues in the form of annexations, killings, deaths, destruction, genocides, starvation, displacements, that began in 1492 when Columbus, almost lost on the sea, was discovered and welcomed by the Native Americans. Columbus and other Europeans repaid their kindness by taking over their land, killing them in wholesale, and restricting the remaining in reservations. In 1992, when the US and some other countries were celebrating 500 years of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, Noam Chomsky’s new book was released: Year 501: The Conquest Continues.
Pahlavis
In 1925, British supported Reza Shah Pahlavi become the Shah of Iran, but he was removed by them in 1941. British were controlling Iran but were gentlemanly, if one could use such a word for the brutal colonial power, in their abdication order:
“Would His Highness kindly abdicate in favor of his son, the heir to the throne? We have a high opinion of him and will ensure his position. But His Highness should not think there is any other solution.”
He was exiled to Mauritius and then to South Africa where he died in 1944. Immediately, after the Shah’s removal, the British installed his son, Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The new Shah was ousted by Iranians in 1951 and he subsequently went into exile in Rome, Italy. The United States CIA and British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) put Shah back into power in 1953, by removing the elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in the words of US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, “madman Mosaddegh.” “Madman?” Because he had nationalized the British owned Anglo-lranian Oil Company (AIOC) and stopped the British from looting Iran’s wealth. The Shah let the company do business with a new name, British Petroleum.
The US supported Shah’s merciless rule that lasted till he was overthrown in an Islamic revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The Shah banished himself to Egypt. Then he went to Morocco whose King Hassan II had received a $110 million interest free-loan from the Shah. He expected the favor to be returned, but the cunning Hassan II was eyeing a portion of the $2 billion Shah had plundered. Shah left for Bahamas, and after sometime he ended up in Mexico. He had cancer and wanted it treated in the US but President Jimmy Carter was reluctant to let him come due to Khomeini government’s opposition; but Carter eventually had to give in for political reasons. Shah went to the US but had to leave because Iranian students in the US were protesting his presence, in addition to the Iranian government objection. Under heavy US pressure, Panama’s General Omar Torrijos had to take Shah in. Then he again went to Morocco, and ended up in Egypt where, after a little more than 18 months after leaving Iran, he died in 1980.
The US lost Iran, but it never forgave them, except for Obama who tried to improve relations. But his successor Donald Trump zealously reignited the enmity.
Reza Pahlavi, who has been living in exile in the US since his father Shah of Iran and other family members had to leave Iran in the wake of the 1979 revolution, addressed Iranians recently in a three minute video.
He told Iranians that the Islamic Republic of Iran is going to tumble, a bright future is awaiting them, and that they’ll be together in a democratic Iran. He wanted all Iranians to revolt against the regime and informed them he has a plan for the first 100 days. He then predicted “Iran will not descend into civil war or instability” under him.
This guy wants to conveniently forget the lessons of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. who were all victims of US imperialism, and when the US changed their regimes, ended up being unstable nations ravaged by civil wars.
If Reza Pahlavi really wants to serve his people than he should learn from the Iraqi experience where most Iraqi oil is being stolen by Western companies. Same is going to happen to Iran if the government falls there. He’ll be a “King” in name only — Israel and the US will be running the show while creating more trouble in Iran’s neighborhood, and forcing it to spend more on defense at the expense of majority of the people’s needs. After some time, who knows, Reza Pahlavi will be looking for a place to exile.
Reza Pahlavi should also remember that it was Netanyahu who was against Obama’s plan to resolve Iran’s nuclear program in a peaceful manner <2>. In 2012, Netanyahu had uttered the following threat:
“So the American clock regarding preventing secularization of Iran is not the Israeli one. The Israeli clock works, obviously, according to a different schedule.”
On June 15, a couple of days after Israel’s bombing of Iran began, more than 50 garlanded donkeys robed in satin and silk were paraded in Gaza while the children caressed them. The planners explained:
“They [the donkeys] have been more help to us than all the Arab states put together.”
The Gazans should dedicate one more robed and garlanded donkey to Reza Pahlavi, too.
Pakistan Defense Minister
In a June 17 tweet, Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, minced no words to slam Pahlavi.
If Iranian people are energized and motivated according to you, show some balls and go back and lead them and remove the regime. Put your money where your arse is, bloody parasitical imperial whore.
Some people reminded Asif of how Shah of Iran had helped Pakistan and also criticized his language. Asif shot back with another tweet:
It is sad that there are people who are worried about linguistic niceties when a genocide is taking place under the watch of “civilized world”, 1000s of children are being butchered non stop.
This is not a sit down dinner where one should mind the language and manners. Pahlavi stands with Netanyahu a genocidal maniac, all he deserves is contempt and nothing else.
One cannot disagree with Asif’s advise. He should have added a couple of words when he branded Reza Pahlavi as “imperial whore.” It should be: “US imperialism’s imperial whore.”
But, now what?
Asif is the Defense Minister but all the decisions are taken by army chief Asim Munir who was in Washington DC on the invitation of Trump when Asif was tweeting the above tweets. Like Asif, Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence feels the same helplessness. She told the US Congress in March 2025:
“The IC [US Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamanei [sic, Ali Khamenei] has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”
Well, the above statement didn’t align with what Trump wanted or was made to want by Israel lobbyists. On 17 June, in answering a reporter, Trump said: “I don’t care what she said.” Three days later, he called Gabbard a liar by stating, “she’s wrong.”
On June 10, Gabbard <3> made a social media video of her visit to Japanese city of Hiroshima, the place where the world’s first atom bomb made by the US, was dropped on August 6, 1945. She also talks about dangerous consequences of nuclear holocaust and that it should be avoided. She should show some more courage and speak out for Palestinians, too.
If Asif is really serious about doing something concrete and constructive, he could do something similar to Gabbard: either he or his department could make a video to draw world’s attention to the looming disaster. about how Iran’s fall could affect the entire Middle East and several other countries, could damage the environment, could displace millions of people, could create resisters or in the western imperialist lingo “terrorists,” thousands of or more orphans and widows. He could produce a solid plan to stop this war and the genocide of Gazans rather than issuing statements.
He could request Egypt, UAE, Morocco, Qatar, Turkiye and other countries to stop doing business with Israel,
He could stir up China, Pakistan’s best friend, to wake up and do something. He could remind China that it started Belt and Road Initiative to avoid the US encirclement. In 1921, China and Iran signed, Iran–China 25-year Cooperation Program, for discounted Iranian oil. If the US and Israel occupy Iran, then that program will be moot and the US could accelerate its plan to strangle China economically.
Asif should look inward too. The Balochistan Province has many grievances which he could request his government and army chief to take care of before outsiders take advantage of the situation, especially if the US prevails over Iran, the next door country with almost 600 mile common border.
He should ask Munir as to the nature of his talk with Trump, during the two hours he spent in the White House.
(I failed to find a single photo of Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Army Chief General Asif Munir, just the two of them.)
US and Pakistan
On President Donald Trump’s invitation, Munir had lunch at the White House. Pakistan’s army chiefs who have also been presidents (Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, and Pervez Musharraf) have been invited in the past. But just an army chief being invited was unusual. He was accompanied by national Security Advisor Lieutenant General Asim Malik where as Trump was accompanied by his special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Many Pakistanis felt honored and many Indians felt jealous. But one thing’s for sure: this lunch one hopes won’t be the worst one of Munir’s life. If it is, then it will cause gut-shattering diarrhea. Trump doesn’t meet anyone without demanding something or expecting some reward. No photos of the lunch or meeting were released nor was any statement issued.
Munir praised President Donald Trump as “one of the greatest and fantastic leaders.”
Then on June 20, Rubio called Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and talked about Iran and other issues. Pakistan formally recommended Trump’s name for 2026 Noble Peace Prize for helping end the war between India and Pakistan.
It would have been great if Munir had received a guarantee that he would not attack Iran before the Nobel Peace Prize announcement. If terrorists like Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and US National Security Advisor/Secretary of State Henry Kissinger can get it, then why can’t Trump?
Questions
As defense minister, Asif should try to find out, that is, If Munir answers …
If Trump asked Munir to allow the US to use Pakistan’s territory for fomenting trouble in Iran?
Is the US planning to station its troops in Pakistan?
Lunch is never free in the US, so what is the price Trump demanded in return?
Was Pakistan asked to join the war against Iran, that is, if the US officially joins the ongoing US supported Israeli war against Iran? <4>
…
Note
<1> Israel, after getting recognition as a country on a stolen land of Palestinians in 1948, didn’t wait long and started finding ways to develop nuclear program. By 1967, it had the expertise and the material for making bombs; today, it has 90 plutonium-based nuclear warheads and has enough material to make 100–200 weapons. Israel has never wanted that any power in the region could challenge its thuggery or who would extend support to the Palestinians. The GCCP and other countries want good relations with Israel and have no concern for the Palestinians.
<2> The tragedy of US presidents is that they cannot question Israel, a nuclear power, as to who gave them the right to dictate the US as to how it should conduct its policy. Well, the fear of Israel Lobby which has spread like cancer in major institutes and government. The New York Times was also advising Obama about Iran’s nuclear program.
<3> Gabbard was accused by Hillary Clinton as “Russian asset.” Hillary also smeared Green Party’s Jill Stein with the same label. No proof was ever produced. In 2022, the New York Times repeated the same nonsense. Neither of them are Russian assets. However, one cannot deny Gabbard’s charges about Hillary: Gabbard called her “the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long …” Hillary, like so many others in every corridor of power in the US, an be called a foreign asset. Yes, Israeli asset. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump, and so many others are Israeli assets too.
<4> When in the early 1980s the US wanted Pakistan’s help in giving the Soviet Union its “Vietnam,” Pakistan’s military dictator was offered $400 million for joining the US war against the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan. Zia rejected the offer as “peanuts,” so the price was increased. During the US war against Afghanistan in 2001, Pakistan was threatened to join the war or else it will be bombed to stone age. Pakistan joined them, and as a result suffered a lot.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com