EDITORIAL: It feels like we are on the cusp of a defining moment in world history

The war between Israel and Iran has reached what feels like a crossroads.

One direction has the Iranian regime agreeing to capitulate and offering to step back from its rogue uranium enrichment activities.

As US President Donald Trump would call it, a deal.

The other direction sees Israel — with or without the direct and overt assistance of the United States — ratcheting up its actions to such an extent that the despotic Iranian regime collapses.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel would like to see the downfall of Iran’s hardline theocratic government which has ruled since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Last week Netanyahu said Israel’s fight “is not against the Iranian people”.

“Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you.

“This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard,” Netanyahu said.

Ordinary Iranians have shown in recent years there is a deep resolve just below the surface.

In 2022 the country was gripped by weeks of unrest and protests after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested in Tehran by morality police for not wearing her hijab in accordance with the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

Her fate became a rallying point and videos posted on social media purported to show thousands of protesters chanting “Death to the dictator”, a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In 2023 Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old Iranian girl, died after an alleged encounter with officers on the Tehran Metro over violating the country’s hijab law.

Amnesty International reported in September that since the uprisings in 2022 the authorities had escalated their assault on human rights through an increasingly violent crackdown on those who defy compulsory veil laws.

Iran has through its own actions slid backwards since the Shah was forced to flee and the Islamic Republic of Iran was proclaimed.

Within months the nation became an outlaw state when Islamic militants took 52 Americans hostage inside the US embassy in Tehran. The hostages were held for 444 days.

Iran has long been the puppet master behind terrorist cells across the region and the International Atomic Energy Agency has pointed out its breaches of its nuclear treaty obligations.

In the eye of the storm it is easy to forget that ancient Iran, known as Persia, was a sophisticated nation with a rich culture.

If the current conflict ends with regime change in Iran to allow it to take its place as a valued member of the free world, its dormant potential could once again emerge.

But that would take huge bravery from the Iranian people, just as Israel has shown bravery in taking action to wipe out the imminent danger of the current regime arming itself with weapons of mass destruction.

It feels like we are on the cusp of a defining moment in world history.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore.