‘Just for fun’

2026-03-16 - 23:34

THE remarks of US President Donald Trump that he might again bomb targets on Kharg Island, ‘just for fun’ are yet another proof that the United States has no case for initiating and expanding a war that is killing innocent souls including school children and putting extreme economic burden on almost all countries of the globe. Killing people just for fun is a mockery of international law and shows the world’s only super power is bereft of morality. Iran is fighting a war of its survival and apart from launching retaliatory missile and drone attacks on the US and Israeli targets in the region and beyond, it has also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz as part of the pressure tactics to make the other side feel the pangs of aggression. The success of the strategy adopted by Tehran is embarrassing for Washington as it seems hapless to fulfill its pledges with regard to provision of security cover to the transiting cargo. So far, plans of the United States and Israel to embroil regional Gulf countries and other powers in the ongoing war have yielded no results and frustration of the American President is evident from the fact that none of the countries (China, Japan, France, South Korea, the UK and others) have responded with hundred percent clarity to the call of Trump to join efforts aimed at reopening of the strategically located Hormuz. In frustration, he raised the ante by targeting Kharg Island knowing fully well that such provocation could evoke dangerous reaction by Iran. And these apprehensions are coming true as Iran is claiming that missiles had been launched from the UAE to attack Kharg Island and also that satellite imagery and electronic surveillance demonstrate that US bases in this region are being used to target the Islamic republic. Going a step further, Iran’s Media Operations Centre late on Sunday issued urgent warning to civilians in specific areas of Dubai and Doha, saying that US military personnel are hiding in those locations and that they may be targeted in the coming hours. The attempts and warnings to attack Iranian oil infrastructure are condemnable as by doing so the US and Israel are deepening risks and dangers for the regional countries as they might face similar attacks in retaliation. All this showed that not to speak of their ability to ensure security of the host countries, the US bases and Israeli espionage network have become a liability for these states, eroding credibility of the United States to serve as a guarantor of regional stability. As for the callous phrase “just for fun”, it reduces a major, potentially devastating military strike to a casual endeavor, which critics argue treats war like a “video game” rather than a grave diplomatic event. Trump made similar remarks after his country sank an Iranian naval vessel (when it was returning home after participating in India-sponsored exercises) saying his generals told him ‘it was fun to watch ships sink’. The comment also implies a readiness for further escalation beyond the initial destruction of military infrastructure, threatening the actual oil facilities if Iran does not comply with demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz. As for Iranian response to American attempts to forge a naval coalition to end blockade of Strait of Hormuz, in a conversation with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi urged other countries to refrain from any action that could widen the scope of the war. The world, in fact, wants an immediate end to hostilities but the goal seems to be far off because of non-serious attitude of the United States, provocations and traps being laid by Israel and the firm stand taken by Iran that there was no point to talk to the US at this stage of the war.