By Online Peoples News Editorial Desk
As the world watches the fragile dance between the United States and Iran unfold once again, the shadows of imperial ambition and neoliberal manipulation stretch long across West Asia. The latest developments, with talks resuming under Omani mediation and the specter of Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House, raise urgent questions about peace, power, and who controls the global narrative.
Let us not forget that it was Donald Trump who unilaterally walked out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 — a deal painstakingly negotiated under the Obama administration with Iran, the P5+1 nations, and the EU. The reason? Trump called it too lenient. But we, the people, understand what really lies beneath — it was never about nuclear weapons. It was about power, oil, and obedience.
The JCPOA limited Iran’s nuclear program drastically. Iran reduced its centrifuges and uranium stockpile in good faith, expecting that sanctions would be lifted and it could rejoin the global economy. Instead, the US weaponized the dollar — the world’s reserve currency — to enforce a brutal sanctions regime, pressuring other nations into compliance. This was not diplomacy. This was economic warfare, a modern-day siege.
Today, the possibility of Trump re-entering the global stage brings new fears. Not only is Trump hinting at a return to talks, but he’s also aligning dangerously with Israeli hardliners like Netanyahu, who openly suggest a repeat of the “Libyan model” — a euphemism for disarmament followed by assassination and state collapse. The world witnessed what happened to Gaddafi after he gave up his nuclear ambitions. Libya is still burning, a playground for Western-backed chaos and corporate looting.
Iran, unlike Libya or Iraq, is no weak state. It is a proud civilization with a deep historical consciousness, a resilient economy, and a determined people. It is also not alone. Movements like the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon may be demonized by Western media, but they represent indigenous resistance to imperial designs. The US and Israel can’t simply bomb Iran into submission without consequences. Iran has warned: if attacked, it will strike back — not just militarily, but economically, by targeting the fragile oil infrastructure of the Gulf and possibly triggering a global energy crisis.
This isn’t just about Iran. It’s about the fundamental right of sovereign nations to chart their own path without being bullied by a military-industrial complex that thrives on perpetual war. The Nepali left, and indeed all progressive forces globally, must stand in solidarity with Iran’s right to self-determination and peaceful nuclear energy, as enshrined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Trump’s hypocrisy is glaring. Why walk out of the JCPOA, only to now seek a deal that looks eerily similar? Is this a theatrical show to appease domestic hawks and the weapons lobby? Or a desperate attempt to avoid another war while pretending to be tough on the international stage? Either way, his reckless posturing could destroy not just the Middle East but the global economy.
We must not be fooled by the Western narrative. The real question is not whether Iran is building a bomb, but whether the US and its allies will stop playing god in a region they have already devastated with regime changes, sanctions, and bombings. The Nepali left must vocally reject this imperial arrogance and demand global peace, equity, and a multipolar world order that respects all cultures, histories, and sovereignties.
In this moment, we must raise our voice: No more wars for oil. No more puppet regimes. No more lies.
If Trump truly seeks peace, let him return to the deal without preconditions. If not, the people of the world — from Kathmandu to Tehran must prepare to resist another imperial war disguised as diplomacy.