After US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats this week to send Iran back to the Stone Age, where do we think this war is headed as it enters its second month? And how would this affect the world which has been thrown into a state of chaos?
Shortly before midnight on Thursday, the people of Pakistan were bombarded by their own government with an unprecedented increase in the prices of petrol and diesel at high speed. This plunged the country into economic turmoil, affecting almost every household except the very wealthy.
Even when it seemed inevitable, the resulting burden on the weak shoulders of the population was obviously unbearable. Immediately, the reality of this situation began to sink in in the minds of those sitting at the table with authorities. So, exactly 24 hours later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had to address the nation to announce a reduction in petrol prices.
This presentation by the Prime Minister on Friday before midnight is a sad and even alarming reflection of the poor economic situation in Pakistan. This war, which drove up energy costs, exposed many of our fundamental weaknesses. We had built no defenses against such unforeseen disasters. Today, we suddenly face challenges that test the collective strength and resolve of an impoverished society.
How happy we were with our diplomatic triumph in mediating this war. This is certainly an achievement and it is to be hoped that the prospect of meaningful negotiations between the United States and Iran has not yet been completely defeated.
However, all attention is now on the battlefield. President Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday evening – Thursday morning in Pakistan – clearly signaled an escalation and its evidence became available soon after, with the United States and Israel escalating their attacks on Iran. In response, Iran launched more missiles toward Israel and the Gulf countries.
One of the major developments was Iran’s shooting down of a US fighter jet over the country on Friday.
This was revealed around the same time that CNN was releasing its exclusive report on recent U.S. intelligence assessments, which indicated that about half of Iran’s missile launchers were still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remained in Iran’s arsenal despite daily attacks by the United States and Israel on military targets over the past five weeks. CNN cited sources close to intelligence.
This just means that the action on both sides has picked up and there will be plenty of updates for the news pages. But the focus on what is supposed to be a roundup of sorts should rest largely on President Trump and his changing positions. In this regard, his fixation on the Stone Age metaphor is intriguing and instructive. As if he is about to destroy all the Iranian structures that characterize a modern country if its leaders do not accept his conditions to end the war.
As it happens, President Trump addressed the nation from the White House, threatening to bomb Iran into the Stone Age, on the same day that America launched its mission to the Moon, a truly inspiring undertaking that exemplifies an extraordinary human achievement. With this ability to venture into space, America is also poised to return a country to a prehistoric existence.
I don’t need to go into detail, but NASA’s Artemis II is a high-stakes trip around the Moon that, according to published reports, marks the boldest step the United States has ever taken toward returning humans to the lunar surface in the near future. Four astronauts, including a woman for the first time in history, are taking part in the lunar mission, the first crewed trip to the Moon since 1972.
It’s a 10-day mission to circle the Moon and travel further from Earth than any human has before. At the beginning, one astronaut declared: “We are going for all humanity.” A very pious thought, no doubt. But humanity as such is being harmed by an unjustified war that the United States started in collusion with Israel.
Let me recall this memorable phrase uttered by Neil Armstrong in July 1969 when he became the first person to set foot on the Moon: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Ah, but how many giant steps would it take for humanity to return to the Stone Age? Or just a nuclear step?
Regardless, it was for the first time in an article on Truth Social that Trump used this expression, which has also been used by other American leaders. He wrote that until the Strait of Hormuz is opened, “we will drive Iran into oblivion or, as they say, return it to the Stone Age!!!” He made similar comments in an interview with Reuters.
However, his speech on Wednesday was a formal, supposedly thoughtful statement. He said: “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks, we are going to take them back to the Stone Age, where they belong.”
Oh, what is their place? Unsurprisingly, Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, was more succinct. His post on X was just five words long: “Back to the Stone Age.”
Naturally, Iran reacted to this situation, also by acting on the terrain of war. In a social media post, a Revolutionary Guard commander highlighted Trump’s threat, adding: “Hollywood illusions have so poisoned your minds that with your miserable 250 years of history, you threaten a civilization more than 6,000 years old.”
Time and again, Trump has boasted about his military’s achievements in destroying Iran’s ability to continue fighting. Just a few days ago, Pete Hegseth said the United States had gained full control of Iran’s skies for the first time since the war began. On Friday, by shooting down an American fighter plane, the Iranian army showed that it was still capable of responding. What can happen when a powerful power confronts an old civilization?
The writer is a seasoned journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of PK Press Club.tv.
