|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://english.alarabiya.net/views/2026/04/09/who-really-won-the-iran-war
Who Really Won the Iran War?
(Al Arabiya) Zaid AlKami - In Iranian discourse, the ceasefire was presented as an achievement. Victory signs were raised, and terms like "resilience" and "breaking American will" were repeated. This narrative was echoed by Tehran's allies, most notably Hizbullah, in an effort to construct a parallel version of events. But there is a wide gap between rhetoric and reality, and that gap reveals what truly happened: Iran did not win, it lost, even if it seeks to delay acknowledging that fact. A state that once portrayed itself as a regional power capable of imposing deterrence suddenly found itself facing two costly options: either open confrontation with the U.S., or accepting a de-escalation imposed on its terms. Choosing the latter was not a victory, but an implicit admission that the cost of confrontation had become unbearable. By contrast, Israel appears to be the primary beneficiary of this round. It is clear that Israel has changed since October 7, 2023, and is now capable of absorbing costs that would previously have been intolerable, both material and human. At the very least, it has achieved a key objective: weakening Iran internally, eroding its deterrence, and pushing it onto the defensive. Israel today does not need to declare victory. It sees it unfolding on the ground in a retreating adversary.