The war between the United States and Iran has entered its seventh month. Thousands have died. Millions have been displaced. The Strait of Hormuz is a militarised zone. Oil spills have fouled coastlines across the Gulf.
Yet the global conversation remains fixated on geopolitics. Who is winning? What is Trump's strategy? When will it end? The human cost is treated as a footnote.
Iran is executing protesters at levels not seen before. The regime has used the war to justify internal repression. Dissent is treason. Protesters are enemy collaborators. The international condemnation has been loud but ineffective. Thirty-two countries issued a joint statement. Iran ignored it. The executions continue.
Inside Iran, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Fuel shortages have triggered panic buying. The currency has collapsed. Inflation is eating away at savings. Hospitals are running out of medicine. The sanctions regime, designed to pressure the government, is crushing ordinary Iranians. The theory of targeted economic pressure has failed. The pain is not targeted. It is universal.
The US strategy is equally cynical. Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it impedes negotiations. He has renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" while the Middle East burns. The diplomatic effort, led by Qatar, is sincere but overwhelmed.
Wars are judged by their political outcomes. They should be judged by their human cost. The US-Iran conflict has already failed that test. The question is not who wins. It is how many more must die before the world cares.
