Seven days and counting

A 'pre-emptive' war on Iran launched by the US and Israel is now taking a 'religious' dimension. The Oval Office at the White House was seen holding a prayer congregation seeking divine help, as the Pentagon and the Congress huddled for finding a way out of the mess. Per the exit polls in the US, a staggering 65% of people are against this warmongering, and are seriously concerned on the upcoming socio-economic plight.

Riyadh went on record saying that its "territory will not be used against the Islamic Republic", soliciting goodwill from Tehran. That in other words means a setback for the American war-machinery that was banking on Saudi petro-dollars and airspace, and a consolation for Pakistan for staying aloof from not invoking a defence pact they have had with it. Likewise, Arab Sheikhdoms are trying to persuade Washington for a roadmap to save their businesses and tourism profiles from being exterminated in the midst of a war that they are incapacitated to fight.

The oil supply crunch, meanwhile, is biting Asian economies, and Pakistan is in it too. Qatar has warned that its overseas LNG supplies could come to a halt within a week. Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE, having been hit with hundreds of drones and missiles, are wondering for respite as Iran vows to rage on with more assaults.

The game-changer is the closure of the Straits of Hormuz by Iran and the skyrocketing of oil prices up to $80 a barrel. China, India, Japan and many other Asian nations will soon be hit with energy-security concerns. Pakistan is already contemplating rationing the sale of petrol and diesel and switching to work-from-home mode. That could certainly lead to mass-scale retrenchments and nosediving of an already struggling economy.

The latest fury is the option of 'boots on ground' that Washington is planning inside Iran. The attempts to bolster Kurds inside Iran, and on its borders with Iraq and Turkiye, is a case in point. Nonetheless, if the briefing to the Congressmen is any criterion, it is pretty evident that Trump and Netanyahu are running out of options, and are on a losing streak.