David Hearst: Israel's War for Regional Hegemony Will Not Stop at Iran's Borders

British writer David Hearst believes that the current war waged by Israel and the United States against Iran represents the beginning of a broader strategic project aimed at redrawing the political and geographical map of the Middle East. Hearst explained that the strike targeting the top Iranian leadership, which led to the martyrdom of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, revealed that the true goal goes beyond the nuclear file to undermining the Iranian state as a competing regional power.

Hearst pointed out in an article published on 'Middle East Eye' that the military attack came at a time when Tehran had made a significant diplomatic offer through Omani mediation, including reducing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. However, Washington and Tel Aviv chose military escalation, proving that negotiations were merely a time-buying cover to arrange the assassination of the Iranian leadership, which had been under US intelligence surveillance for months.

The writer believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found in US President Donald Trump the ideal partner to realize a dream he has harbored for decades: delivering a decisive blow to 'Amalek,' as he describes Iran. Netanyahu aims through this comprehensive war to transform Iran from a strong central state into a weak confederation of fragmented ethnic cantons, thereby removing the last obstacle to absolute Israeli hegemony.

The article warned that the ambitions of the Israeli right are no longer limited to Palestinian territories but are now openly speaking of 'Greater Israel.' Hearst cited statements by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and opposition leader Yair Lapid, which hint at regional expansion that could include parts of Iraq and Syria, extending influence between the Nile and Euphrates rivers in the absence of any deterrent regional power.

In the context of international alliances, India emerged as a non-Western strategic ally for Israel, with Hearst suggesting that New Delhi provides economic, technological, and alternative labor support for Palestinians. This alliance aims to make Israel less dependent on direct Western support and solidify its position as a dominant military power backed by airbases spread across the region, confronting Arab states with an eroding sovereign reality.

On the ground, Iran began implementing a 'long-term war' strategy and a counter-military response targeting global economic interests. Iranian attacks led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption of vital oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, causing a sharp jump in global energy prices, in an attempt by Tehran to raise the cost of war for Washington and its allies to unprecedented levels.

Hearst explained that Iran expanded its targeting to include British and French military bases in Cyprus and Abu Dhabi via drones, reflecting a shift in Iranian combat doctrine towards internationalizing the conflict. The new leadership in Tehran, which activated the decentralized command system, realizes that pressure on the global economy is the only card that might force Trump to reconsider his military calculations.

On the Israeli domestic front, reports revealed severe economic bleeding, with the Israeli economy losing approximately 9.4 billion shekels weekly since the confrontation erupted last February. Despite these exorbitant costs, Netanyahu continues military pressure, considering this war the only 'insurance policy' for the survival of his political project after the damage to Israel's international reputation due to the war of annihilation in Gaza.

Hearst criticized what he called the 'fatal mistake' made by Iran and Hezbollah at the beginning of the October 2023 events, when they preferred not to open a comprehensive and coordinated front, which allowed Israel to deal with each party individually. Now, Iran finds itself forced to fight an existential battle after being deceived by American diplomatic messages that aimed only to buy time and prepare the theater of operations for major assassinations.

Regarding the Gulf states, the writer believes they are paying a heavy price for a conflict they did not desire, as Washington ignored Riyadh's and Doha's warnings about the consequences of striking Iran. These countries now find themselves in the crossfire, with increasing risks of civil wars erupting in Iran's vicinity, which could lead to massive waves of human displacement towards the West, destabilizing the entire region.

Netanyahu's strategy relies primarily on the weakness and fragmentation of Arab states, as he seeks to establish a new 'Sykes-Picot' that ensures Israel's permanent superiority. Hearst believes that this project will not stop at Iran but may later move to target other regional powers such as Turkey, under the same ideological and security pretexts currently promoted by the extremist right-wing government.

In conclusion, the Iranian regime is betting on its ability to withstand and exhaust the US administration, relying on the idea that Khamenei's death may give the revolution a new purpose and a higher fighting spirit. The fundamental question remains about Trump's ability to bear the consequences of a comprehensive regional war that harms the interests of his electoral base, amid Israeli insistence on moving forward to change the face of the Middle East forever.

Field data shows that the cost of US military operations, reaching one billion dollars daily, puts enormous pressure on Washington's budget, coinciding with a record increase in Israel's defense budget for 2026. This mutual financial exhaustion may ultimately determine the winner in the war of wills, unless international powers intervene to impose a de-escalation that prevents the comprehensive collapse of the global order.

The current scene in the Middle East indicates that the region has entered a dark tunnel of existential conflicts, where Israeli dreams of hegemony clash with Iranian attempts at survival. While fires rage in oil facilities and shipping lanes, it seems that the 'new reality' Netanyahu seeks to impose will cost the region and the world far more than expected when the first shot was fired in this war.

Destroying Iran as a regional power is part of a larger plan aimed at achieving the dream of 'Greater Israel' extending from the Nile to the Euphrates.