Yesterday, we woke up to the horrifying news that the United States had attacked Iran. I followed the news in shock. For more than a day, I did not even know how to put my thoughts into words.
Then Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, said exactly what I was feeling:
“Es posible condenar un régimen odioso como el de Irán y, al mismo tiempo, oponerse a lo que él califica como intervención injustificada.”
“It is possible to condemn a hateful regime like Iran’s and at the same time oppose what is unjustified intervention.”
That is exactly how I feel.
Yes, Iran has been cruel, especially toward women. The oppression is real. The suffering is real. But was this intervention justified? No. Absolutely not.
Right now, it seems that many of the people most immediately affected are wealthy travelers. People in Dubai suddenly found themselves stuck, afraid, unable to leave. And if anything meaningful can come from this moment, I hope it is this realization: money cannot protect anyone when crisis hits.
When something truly dangerous happens, we are all the same. Vulnerable. Afraid. Trying to survive.
Your bank balance cannot save you. Status cannot shield you. No one is untouchable.
Maybe this will help people understand what the less fortunate experience all the time. That fear. That helplessness. Because in the end, we are all human beings. Education, skin color, wealth. None of it changes that.
This is why I wish this war had never started. It is destructive and unpredictable, and the consequences will spread far beyond this moment.
Oil prices will surge. That will help Russia fund its war against Ukraine. Everyday life will become more expensive for ordinary people. There may be terrorist attacks. And there is no guarantee that the Iranian people will become free because of any of this.
So what was it for?
Maybe nothing.
All we can do now is hope for peace tomorrow.
