The reported joint United States–Israel strikes on Iran, which are said to have caused heavy civilian casualties and resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, leave me deeply conflicted.
In principle, it is both morally and legally wrong for external powers to initiate war with the aim of regime change. Such interventions violate international norms and almost always inflict disproportionate suffering on ordinary civilians.
At the same time, I cannot ignore what George Orwell wrote about dictatorial regimes being “brutal, unpopular, and enforced through fear.” For decades, Iranians have lived under a system that suppresses dissent, curtails personal freedoms, and rules through coercion.
Reports of celebrations, inside Iran and among sections of the Iranian diaspora, following Khamenei’s death reflect that long-suppressed anger and pain. While war and civilian deaths can never be justified, those reactions underline a stark reality: many saw him not as a protector, but as a symbol of repression.
That is the dilemma I cannot resolve easily, condemning the illegality and human cost of war, while understanding why the fall of a feared autocrat evokes relief, even celebration, among those who suffered under his rule.
Promod Puri
promodpuri.com
Promod Puri.com 