"Bragging is a loud campaign for an empty room, the quickest way to prove your deceit is the only thing currently in stock”
“Jo sochaatha woh na hua, aur, Jo sochaa nahi tha woh hua”( Whatever we planned didn't happen; whatever we didn't plan is what exactly is happening), this bitter reality reflects the gap between the grand "Operation Epic Fury" blueprints and the current reality of the 2026 Iran war, "as on 10, March,2026".
Just a few days into this 'limited' outing, and the high-gloss military brochures are already looking like historical fiction with Iran threatening many surprises for US, signalling further escalation
The US-Israeli "Get Regime Change Fast" scheme was supposed to be a weekend project, instead the generals have found themselves starring in a sequel they clearly didn't study for.
However, the situation has forced everyone involved to blow their own trumpets.
The US president, who is in serious political trouble after choosing to start a war with Iran, began to say that the US had won the war adding that the war is pretty much complete, that Iran was completely decimated.
This bragging of complete decimation of Iran and won the war rhetoric reflects a complete reversal of previous assertions that full regime change was necessary, which appeared to be setting up a much longer and wider-scale engagement, and evoking mockery and confusion from commenters on social media.
In a stunning display of 'Mission Accomplished' gymnastics, the US has traded its demands for unconditional surrender for a hasty victory lap toward the exit. It turns out the best part about having no strategic plan is that you can't technically fail, you just redefine 'winning' as 'leaving' and hope no one checks the scorecard on your way out."
On the other hand, this self-trumpeting of US leadership far from creating confusion, rebellion and regime change, in fact helped to harden the Iranian regime’s resolve and the support of the Iranian people for their government.
While the US leadership’s victory trumpets are currently being drowned out by the rhythmic "thud" of Iranian drones, the Indian propaganda machine has found its own shiny toy to play with.
Seizing upon a UAE Envoy’s polite suggestion that a single "phone call from PM Modi" could magically halt the missiles, the "Vishwa guru" cheerleaders have gone into a full celebratory frenzy.
It’s a masterclass in optimistic delusions: while the Middle East literally burns, they’re busy convinced that a 5G connection from New Delhi is the only thing standing between total war and world peace.
Perhaps the UAE Envoy has missed the trees for the burning woods. It turns out the "Miracle Worker" with the supposed power to mediate the apocalypse is currently on a much more urgent mission, playing hide-and-seek with his own Parliament.
While the Middle East waits for that world-saving phone call, the "Visionary" is busy multitasking, ignoring the war debate in his own Parliament while finding the time to issue stern press releases about how the West Bengal government has "dishonoured the nation’s highest office."
It’s a bold diplomatic strategy, apparently, you can’t end a global war if you’re too busy sprinting away from a domestic debate. It turns out that ending a Middle East conflict via a single phone call is slightly more difficult when you’re already on "Do Not Disturb" mode for your own country's questions or when you can spend your afternoon score-settling with a state government.
Maybe, the leaders like the UAE envoy that look at the Indian leadership as the “troubleshooter” seemed to be not aware that the Indian leadership had effectively surrendered its strategic interests in the Middle East and has openly sided with the US and Israel.
It’s a bitter masterclass in prestige-suicide, by blindly picking sides, New Delhi has effectively admitted it no longer believes in its own strength to move the needle. Instead of leading the room, it has opted for the "loyal follower" starter pack, proving that when the world expects a global powerhouse, it’s getting a "Visionary" who is more comfortable in a supportive cameo than a leading role.
"Nobody’s asking for boots on the ground or a red-line showdown. All the world wanted was for the 'Vishwaguru' to use its supposed VIP speed dial to tell DC and Tel Aviv that burning the neighbourhood is a bad business model. Alas! it’s reluctant even to do that.
Just as the curtain was falling on the "Vishwa guru" claims, the UAE Envoy’s "one phone call" comment arrived like a divine intervention for a propaganda machine running on fumes. It was the ultimate bolt from the blue, a shiny, rhetorical lifeline for social media trolls to grab onto while the ship of Indian strategic autonomy quietly sinks.
Even as its propaganda supporters hold on to the UAE Envoy’s lifeline, this Basir Badr’s couplet “Udaas raasta, thaki hui shaam, bolo kahan jaoge?/Tumhare paas toh apna koi ghar bhi nahi hai"( A lonely path, a tired evening, tell me, where will you go? You don't even have a home of your own anymore) perfectly captures this blend of grand self-delusion and the harsh reality of a leadership that has traded its independent strategic "home", from which it's running, for a rented room in the Pentagon's basement.
