1) Was this war ultimately preventable?

The war was inevitable, and has been inevitable for decades given the proven ambitions, backed by their public declarations, and increasingly revealed by Israel and US intelligence of working to develop the power and capability of the Iranian regime to totally eradicate Israel (who they openly refer to as “The Little Satan”) before attempting to devastate America who they refer to as “the Big Satan.”

Israel, primarily through our Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has openly and officially (including from the podium of the UN General Assembly) revealed a vast archive of, up to then, Iranian military secrets which was snatched from a secret warehouse located in Tehran by the Israeli Mossad and brought to Israel and produced in evidence that Iran was indeed, despite statements to the contrary by the IAEA, in a very advanced state of actually having several nuclear bombs and, although the international community was unbelieving and asleep at the wheel, Israel knew the clock was ticking and the international community was not willing or able to stop Iran’s progress to several nuclear warheads and the ballistic missiles to carry this Doomsday weapon to their target.

Israel was fortunate to have Donald Trump elected president for a second term because he was a president that fully realised the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran and felt the need to eradicate that potential.

So this war was only not preventable but absolutely essential.

2) How should civilian casualties be evaluated alongside strategic objectives?

This depends which casualties you are referring to. Iranian, or Israeli or American. If you are referring to Iranian casualties, it has been the Iranian civilians that have been begging the United States to remove the chokehold that the Radical regime has over them. They want the outside world to eradicate the dictators that rule over them. If you are referring to Israeli casualties, Israel have been killed in the thousands by local death cults ranging from the PLO, Fatah, to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This has made Israel, out of sheer necessity in protection of its people, to become more affirmative in initiating attacks against Palestinian, Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Yemeni Houthi terror armies.

3) How credible is the prospect of Israel exercising a nuclear option?

Israel does not have a nuclear option.

4) What are the realistic prospects of an Israeli invasion of Iran?

That depends what you mean by an invasion. If you mean to control Iran this is an impossibility given the enormous size of Iran. There may be commando raids but this will not be to control territory. In the case of the United States and their differing requirements, I see the possibility of US soldiers taking physical control over Kharge Island that sits in the Strait of Hormuz and from which Iran supplies China with an estimated 20% of their oil needs.

5) To what extent might other states be drawn into the conflict alongside Israel and the US?

The biggest surprise that US President Trump got was the refusal of EU countries to come to the assistance of the US even in helping secure the waterways surrounding Iran. This will prove to be an embarrassment to the European nations when next they need US assistance in dealing with Russia across their borders and find that Trump will not help them.

6) Can Iran sustain its nuclear capabilities under prolonged strategic pressure?

Iran has already been seriously degraded of its nuclear capabilities. However, and here we come to the difference between Israel and the US. Israel really wanted this war to give to the Iranian people what they have wanted for decades – to be relieved of their brutal dictatorship. Alas, this was never a US priority. However, both Israel and the US have seriously set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions possibly for 8-10 years. If the Iranian regime survives in some even weakened condition, they will definitely return to developing a nuclear weapon. They have patience. They know that in three years Trump will no longer be president and anyone who replaces him will be as affirmatively anti-Iran regime as was Trump.

7) Is Israel positioned to achieve its stated objectives, or does it risk strategic overreach?

If regime change was one of Israels goals this will not be achieved if Trump pulls out the US too early. Israel cannot do this on our own and we have yet to see a strong enough internal organisation able to take power by what is left of their dictatorial leaders. Iran is a massive country and part of it contain ethnic minorities who may take the opportunity of seizing power in their own cultural region.

8) What is the likelihood of the United States deploying ground forces in Iran?

In my opinion US ground troops may be deployed to keep control over Kharge Island or perhaps commandoes deployed at distant ports for strategic reasons.

9)Under what conditions might Iran agree to a ceasefire with the US?

For one reason only. To freeze the situation, to stop US and Israeli destructive bombing attacks in the guise of negotiating and ending the war when they will regroup and strengthen their grip on the people.

10) How does Trump assess domestic American support for this war?

He knows he doesn’t have the Democrats on his side and he doesn’t want to see a sharp rise in oil prices in America or massive casualties of his soldiers before the important Mid-Term election which the Republicans must win.

11) What role are Saudi actors playing in shaping the trajectory of the conflict?

The Saudis like the Emiratis and the Qataris have been extremely weak and inactive. A part of this is wrapped up in religious reasons. In short, the only two countries reshaping the trajectory are the United States and Israel.

12) Could further escalation precipitate leadership change, and to what extent is regime change an implicit objective?

I referred to regime change earlier. Israel and ordinary Iranians saw this as an essential aim. Trump didn’t. So, unless the Iranian people actually rise up massively and take over the governing buildings and depose their leaders it won’t happen. The Iranians will not see American or Israeli soldiers marching in the streets of Tehran or any other Iranian city.

13) Have diplomatic proposals been conveyed from the US to Iran via Pakistan, and what are the implications of such channels?

Yes and I don’t trust a Pakistan that is closer to the Iranian regime than they are to the Trump Administration.

14) How does Israel assess the willingness of Iranian leadership to compromise on enrichment or broader nuclear capabilities?

Israel has zero trust in any current Iranian leadership.

15) To what extent are Israeli and US strategic objectives aligned, and where might divergences emerge?

I think my earlier comments express the answer to this question.

16) Has Israel effectively constrained Iran’s capacity to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz?

No, because that was not Israel’s job or involvement.

17) Given the view that war reflects a failure of diplomacy, should Israel have pursued recourse through the United Nations Security Council prior to escalation?

The UNSC or UNGA are the last two places Israel would ever refer to for a change in policy or direction. Israel has for decades produced evidence of Iran’s breaches of their nuclear promises and our Prime Minister, and UN Representatives have been talking to the wall or to an empty chamber.

18) If the potential disruption of the Strait of Hormuz was not fully anticipated in Washington, what does this suggest about the robustness of US strategic planning?

I do not understand saying it was not fully anticipated in Washington. The Trump Administration including military, security, and intelligence knew precisely the importance of Hormuz and Trump is playing it to his advantage against China.

19) Iran is often described as a civilisational state; how does this framing inform assessments of its internal cohesion and resilience?

It was a civilizational state when it was Persia and under Cyrus who rescued the Jews from slavery in Babylon and return them to their homeland in Israel thousands of years ago.

20) How is Israel’s role in Middle Eastern geopolitics likely to evolve over the next decade?

Israel has proven itself to be the unrivalled powerhouse in the Middle East. Anyone who reaches out to Israel in partnership will benefit as those have found who joined the Abraham Accords. Those that remain outside this ring of friendship are Arab entities tied to medieval religious beliefs. If you follow me on Facebook, you will see that I post regular news items of how increasingly powerful successful and influential Israel has become ever since we were invaded by a Palestinian death cult on 7/10 over two years ago backed by nefarious actors led by Iran. These are daily becoming weaker while Israel is the regional and even global leader in security and defence development, hi-tech. AI, etc. One final point - I predict that more Jews will move from Western countries to become new Israelis than ever before in our history.