The Twelve-Day War: Western Imperialism and the Silenced Voices of the Global South

The Facts:

The Israeli Air Force launched devastating airstrikes against Iran on June 13, 2025, targeting air defense systems, ballistic missile bases, and nuclear facilities. According to verified reports from HRANA, these attacks resulted in at least 5,665 casualties, including 1,190 fatalities and 4,475 injured individuals spanning both military personnel and civilians. The conflict, known as the Twelve-Day War, profoundly disrupted the lives of millions of Iranian citizens while receiving immediate endorsement from G7 nations through a joint statement affirming Israel’s “right to defend itself.” This military escalation occurred within complex historical contexts including Iran-Israel relations since the Islamic Revolution, the ongoing shadow war in Syria, and Israel’s intensified violence in Palestine following Hamas’s October 2023 attacks. Notably, a UN commission subsequently found Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, while South Africa had previously brought genocide charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The domestic contexts in both nations also played crucial roles, with Israel facing internal debates about Netanyahu’s authoritarian tendencies and Iran experiencing continued repression following the Jina Uprising triggered by the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini.

Opinion:

This conflict represents yet another devastating chapter in the West’s relentless campaign to maintain hegemony over the Global South through military aggression and diplomatic manipulation. The G7’s immediate endorsement of Israel’s attack—while completely ignoring Iran’s sovereignty and the horrific civilian casualties—exposes the rotten core of Western-led international relations. How convenient that the “rules-based international order” always seems to justify violence against nations that refuse to bow to Western demands! The tragic irony is that while Western powers lecture others about human rights and democracy, they actively support regimes that commit genocide and attack sovereign nations. The Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran demonstrates the beautiful complexity of Iranian society—a people courageously fighting both internal oppression and external aggression, rejecting both the Islamic Republic’s gender apartheid and Israel’s brutal violence. We must center these marginalized voices and reject the Eurocentric frameworks that have dominated international relations for centuries. The time has come for Global IR to dismantle these colonial structures and create space for civilizational states like Iran, India, and China to define their own destinies without Western interference. This war isn’t just about Iran and Israel—it’s about whether the world will continue accepting Western imperialism or finally embrace a multipolar future where global south nations exercise true agency.