Iran Is at War with the West. It’s Time for a Collective Response

It might seem counterintuitive to say this, but despite the major blows to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the deaths of key military leaders, Tehran’s rulers are probably still celebrating. Why wouldn’t they be?

Every day they can read headlines declaring that France, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia are committing to recognizing a Palestinian state, which Hamas itself has declared as a victory for their October 7^th attacks. They watch mass demonstrations across Western capitals demonizing Israel and the West, snarling city centers, and even threatening public safety, without any serious consequences. They see their proxies continuing to launch military attacks that disrupt global supply chains. And they see their political movements influencing policy from London to Ottawa.

While Iran’s military capacity has definitely been degraded for now, Iran’s will has been heightened. Consider the following:

• They are going all out using mosques and media to rally the population around a nationalist message while viciously cracking down on all internal dissent.
• They are putting a new leadership in place including increasing the influence of the Revolutionary Guard while re-establishing a National Defense Council, to bring all relevant parties together to improve coordination.
• They are increasing funding to their proxies, including Hamas and the Houthis.

And while Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been significantly degraded, they nonetheless are taking actions to engage China in rebuilding their military capabilities. Yedioth Ahronoth and Newsweek have both reported discussions to rebuild Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal so that it has the capability to strike not only Israel but with the potential to strike European cities as well. Iran has also reportedly received Chinese-made surface-to-air missile batteries in exchange for oil, according to Middle East Eye. There are also negotiations for Iran to acquire J-10C fighter jets from China, which would be a significant upgrade for its air force, according to Middle East Monitor.

Importantly, in a classic case of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, they and their proxies are successfully capitalizing on the hunger crisis in Gaza to isolate Israel and mobilize the world’s powers to support the establishment of a Palestinian State.

All this is to say that while recent Israeli and US attacks may have temporarily defanged Iran’s nuclear buildup and their proxy network, they have clearly not given up and in fact have accelerated their efforts. Moreover, while Iran may have taken the military hit, they are still winning the global war they have been waging against the West.

And they’ve done it with one of the greatest deceptions since the Trojan Horse—convincing much of the West that the war between Israel and Hamas is a local fight, and that the Palestinians are the real victims. With help from sympathetic media voices, influential opinion-makers, and a naïve or miseducated public, they’ve pulled the wool over almost everyone’s eyes.

Finally, I should add, Israel and its supporters aren’t helping. By constantly framing the war as one against Hamas, and by extension the Palestinian people, Israel is helping to perpetuate Iran’s deception.

The Smokescreen and the Real War

Since October 7, much of the world has seen Gaza as just another round in the endless Israeli Palestinian conflict. That framing is dangerously wrong. Iran is not a bystander; it is the orchestrator. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria are all part of a single proxy network designed to bleed the West, push it out of the Middle East, and topple moderate Sunni governments.

By treating this as a local dispute, Western governments are doing Tehran’s work for it—helping advance its long-stated goal of expelling the West from the region and replacing the existing order with an Iranian-led Islamist bloc.

Economic Warfare in the Red Sea

If anyone doubts this is more than a localized conflict, look at the Red Sea. Since late 2023, Iran’s Yemen-aligned Houthis have launched more than 130 drone and missile attacks on commercial and military vessels. These aren’t symbolic—they’ve turned the Bab al-Mandeb into a danger zone for global shipping.

The results are stark:

• Cargo volumes through the strait have dropped by roughly two-thirds.
• Shipping is being rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10–14 days and huge fuel and insurance costs.
• Global supply chains are being destabilized, with ripple effects in everything from energy prices to food imports.

Iran’s military actions are not limited to the Middle East. It is a strategic partner to Russia, providing drones and other military support for the war in Ukraine. It coordinates politically and militarily with China and North Korea. This is an emerging anti-Western axis, spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

None of this has anything to do with solidarity with Gaza. It is deliberate economic warfare against the global economy.

Influence Operations and Political Destabilization

The Soufan Center recently published an important analysis entitled “Could Iran Seek to Attack the US Homeland?” (https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2025-august-15/) on the threat that Iran poses to the US and its allies. The study begins by reporting on a recent joint statement issued by the US, Great Britain and others stating that:

“Late last month, the United States, the United Kingdom, and a dozen other Western nations jointly condemned what they said was the growing threat posed by Iranian intelligence agents planning covert activities on Western soil. The statement read: ‘We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty.’”

In addition, Iran is conducting operations to destabilize the West in plain sight. Pro-Iranian and pro-Hamas narratives dominate mass protests in Western cities. These demonstrations not only polarize societies, but they’re also shifting political positions—polling in major EU countries shows sympathy for Israel falling and support for Palestinian narratives rising. Governments are feeling the pressure: Germany, Canada, and others are restricting arms exports to Israel or conditioning aid.

This is the soft-power side of Iran’s campaign—fueling division, eroding support for allies, and bending Western politics toward appeasement.

When an Enemy Says They Want to Destroy You—Believe Them

Iran’s leaders have never been shy about their objectives: eliminate Western influence, overthrow western-allied governments and export their revolutionary Islamic model. In an excellent piece in the Jerusalem Post entitled “It’s Not Just an Anti-Jewish Thing: It’s So Much More”, David S. Levine details how an anti-Western jihad is foundational to Iran’s theology.

He provides this cogent description of their view of the world:

“Islam looks at the world in only one of two ways:

Dar al-Islam refers to territory where security is controlled by Muslims and Islamic-based Shari’a law is implemented.

Dar al-Harb is the absence of either.

It is quite easy to conclude that the West is Dar al-Harb.”

In their view it is their sacred responsibility to convert the world to Islam, in any way possible. In other words, when Iran says openly that they are committed to destroying the world of Dar-al-Harb, the rational response is to take it seriously—not to buy into its cover story.

A First Step: NATO Should Invoke Article 5 on Collective Defense

This is not a localized conflict—it is one theater in a coordinated global campaign. And the West should take its blinders off and treat it accordingly.  Here the United States has a key role to play. By leveraging its military dominance, the U.S. should demand that every nation with which it has a defense agreement agree to act collectively against the Iranian threat.

An important first step would be for the US to call on NATO to invoke Article 5 and declare Iranian proxy attacks—from Hamas rockets to Houthi drones—as attacks on the alliance itself. These attacks clearly meet NATO’s evolving definition of threats to member security, particularly in light of recent doctrinal updates.

“We will enhance the protection of our critical infrastructure… and strengthen our resilience against strategic shocks including disruptions to supply chains and transport corridors.” —2023 NATO Vilnius Summit

“NATO will ensure the security of its lines of communication and critical transportation infrastructure in peacetime, crisis, and conflict.” —2022 NATO Strategic Concept

That would mean:

1. Support Israel against Hamas, help Lebanon resist Hezbollah’s domination, and dismantle Houthi strike capabilities.
2. Block Iranian oil exports through secondary sanctions, cut off trade including interdicting Iranian oil shipments, and hit its financial lifelines.
3. Close the rifts within NATO, reverse the commitment to recognize a Palestinian State.
4. Coordinate actions to prevent Iranian funded attacks on the public safety of their communities by seizing financial assets that fund terrorism and related terrorist support organizations.

The Clock Is Ticking

Continuing to misread this as a regional fight plays into Tehran’s hands. The longer the West hesitates, the stronger Iran’s position becomes—on the streets of Western capitals, in the shipping lanes of the Red Sea, and on the battlefields of Ukraine and Gaza.

The West is in a war it refuses to recognize. The question is whether it will finally act like it—before Iran finishes the job it has openly promised to complete.