PRESIDENT Trump has claimed victory in a war that turned out disastrous for the US, Israel and its allies. As Reuters put it tersely: ‘Trump has seesawed on Iran, crediting the US military for significantly degrading Iran’s military but resisting a speedy end to the conflict.’ Trump cannot save face even as he tries to hide the defeat.
There were losses in Iran too and these were heavy. 7,007 verified deaths (6,488 protesters, 236 minors) with over 11,000 cases under investigation. Reports suggest a death toll exceeding 30,000, with official figures possibly representing less than 10% of the actual total.
Reports vary on Israeli deaths. Over 2,000 people have been injured in Israel due to missile and drone strikes. Fatalities include individuals killed in rocket attacks, such as in Beit Shemesh and near Tel Aviv. These figures could well be understated.
The conflict, which began February 28, 2026, followed a joint US-Israel operation, resulting in significant, sustained retaliation from Iran, including ballistic missile strikes. These figures are rapidly changing as the conflict tapers off, with some reports focusing on the intense, short-term, 12-day nature of the exchange. According to UN Human Rights Experts (Feb 2026), estimates range in the tens of thousands.
These are days of high-end technology and even attempts to hide the truth have utterly faltered. You can sit in faraway India, in Argentina, or some remote corner of the world – and watch Israel and the Gulf countries being pummelled in locations wherever US interests are located. Trump is not expected to admit to the Americans that his latest gamble immensely backfired especially after he underplayed his loss of personnel. His claim that just seven of his armed forces were killed is a wild untruth, the truth is somewhere in the region of 100+.
No one is surprised that he now claims victory. His egoistical make-up is of the variety that will not allow him or the bunch of advisors in his close cabinet to speak the truth. They have to finally obey the dictator.
His advisors have also been lying to the American people. They have claimed each day that Iran would be punished as never before the next day. Hogwash, as it turns out to be! The USA really wants to shut down the war.
Pride will not allow them to sound like losers- which is what they have ended up being. US bases all over the Gulf have been destroyed and guesses are that they will never be reinvited again to the region. This war has exposed them us a liability and not a protector. Iran has shown who the boss in the region is. A distant America can barely help them. For long, they thought they had a formidable alliance in Israel. Now that has proved untrue.
Israelis have also had to eat humble pie. Television footage showed Israelis on the street were heard to be pleading: “Sorry Iran, please”. And these were not AI images. Experts took just a quick glance and affirmed that they were real.
Israel confronted Iran’s massive, multi-front escalation, that included intense, near-constant rocket and missile barrages from Iran and Hezbollah disrupting life across the country, particularly in the north and Tel Aviv. Residents are frequently taking shelter, schools are closed, and significant damage is reported. The devasting scenes prompted the question: Is this Gaza?
Following the US-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Iran and its allies launched a blistering set of massive, coordinated strikes. The ‘Epic Fury’ came not from USA-Israel but from Iran and its alliances. Regime change was the desired outcome. It took less than a week for Iran to find their new Supreme leader in a show of consensus. The killing of Ayatollah Khamenei unified the Iranians. It created a situation for frantic US Commanders to seek desperate options.
Hezbollah had “pummelled” northern Israel with rockets and drones, stalling recovery efforts and forcing residents to flee. Life has been severely disrupted, with air raid sirens active in Tel Aviv and thousands of soldiers out on reserve duty.
Israel conducted a heavy air campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and targeting Iranian capabilities. The counter fire from Iran was characterised as a “fiery blitz,” severely testing Israel’s defense capabilities. While the conflict between Iran and Israel intensified, reports claiming Netanyahu was reported as having disappeared after a compound bombing where he lived during the ongoing conflict. It has been four days and he has not been sighted.
Reports in early March 2026 mentioned that due to heightened security, Netanyahu was reportedly working from a fortified basement in his office and had limited some public appearances. However, this was a security precaution. Reports of him being “missing” or “assassinated” in late February/early March 2026 have been debunked as false, with, for example, reports showing him at Ashdod Port on March 9, 2026.
In war, propaganda matters more than facts. Netanyahu will have to show up to challenge the rumours, that remain unconfirmed as yet. Despite Iranian claims in early March 2026 regarding missiles targeting his office and questioning his whereabouts, his office dismissed these as fake news. They say that he continues to serve as Prime Minister.
Reports circulating online allege that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was injured after an Iranian strike allegedly hit his residence in Tel Aviv, while other posts claim that Iddo Netanyahu, brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was reportedly killed during the same escalation. The claims spread rapidly as hundreds of missiles and drones targeted Israeli and US positions across the region.
However, there has been no official confirmation that Ben-Gvir was injured or that his residence was struck. Similarly, reports about the death of Iddo Netanyahu remain unverified, with some international outlets suggesting he died in a car accident rather than an attack. Such reports could either be false, or ones that the victim side prefers to keep concealed.
The guessing game will drag on but cannot be permanently concealed. Considering his political profile, Netanyahu would normally appear in the least to display imaginary courage and issue a statement to his people who now live in fear and humiliation.
Iran’s President Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to peace in West Asia. But he asserted that the only way to end the war were for the USA and Israel to accept three terms unconditionally. He reminded the world that the war was ignited by the “Zionist regime” and the United States. These non-negotiable conditions communicated by President Pezeshkian include:
· That the US and Israel acknowledge Iran’s sovereign rights and, what it calls its legitimate rights in the region.
· The USA grant compensation for damages incurred during the conflict citing reports of thousands of residential and non-military buildings targeted.
· Iran insists on binding international assurances to prevent future military aggression by the US and Israel.
The Iranian government maintains it did not start the war and prefers diplomacy, but vows to continue fighting if these conditions are not met. Iran maintains that the war was “ignited by the Zionist regime & US.”
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Ranjan Solomon is a writer, researcher and activist based in Goa. He has worked in social movements since he was 19 years of age. The views expressed here are the author’s own and Clarion India does not necessarily share or subscribe to them. He can be contacted at ranjan.solomon@gmail.com
