In all times, writers and columnists tend to complain about the lack of motivating subject matter to write about. Dostoevsky, for one, noted the banality of everyday life and the effort it requires to say “a new word.” If the Russian genius faced this problem, imagine the difficulty of adding something original that modest columnists like me have. .

However, today, with the outbreak of the war against Iran launched by the delinquent superpower, the United States, and the genocidal state, Israel, we can hardly complain of the lack of thrilling events. And the ancient curse “May you live in interesting times” appears extremely relevant (even if worn out by overuse).

Dostoevsky, who believed in God, wrote that children’s suffering discloses the absurdity of all historical reality. In my recent book, Estilhaços, I say that “the suffering of children not only belies the existence of God but proves that of the Devil.”  The atrocious bombing of a girls’ school in Iran, which killed more than 160 people, is a clear proof of it.

To justify the aggression against Iran, he said: “There was an imminent threat to the U.S.… We knew that if Iran was attacked by Israel, they would immediately attack us.” According to Rubio, by attacking Iran, the Trump administration acted “proactively” and “defensively.” And Israel, defining the timing, is the one calling the shots.

Time will tell, but today it seems that the diabolical duo made a huge miscalculation.

The U.S. seeks domination in the Middle East. But Iran is a tough nut to crack. It is not defenseless Palestine subjected to Israeli destruction and massacre. Nor is it Lebanon equally defenseless against Israeli attacks. Nor is it Syria torn apart by U.S., Israeli and Turkish aggression. Nor is it Libya and Iraq. And nor is it Venezuela easily subdued by the U.S.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, hosting American military bases on their territory from where attacks are made on Iran, have become a legitimate target for the Iranians.

Tehran has also used these states’ economic dependence on the passage through the Strait of Hormuz to transport their oil and natural gas exports (of the five mentioned, only Saudi Arabia has other channels). Iran has surgically closed this strait for shipping, except for its strategic allies—Russia and, above all, China. All other countries’ ships trying to pass the strait are bombed.

Iran is an ancient and peaceful civilization, a great country proud of its traditions. It was never a colony, although at certain periods it was subjected to semi-colonial relationships with by foreign powers, most notably with Britan and the U.S. The last foreign invasion of Iran was in the 18th century.

One should not disregard Iran’s size. There are more than 90 million Iranians, living in a territory larger than the combined territories of France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Compare it with tiny Palestine, with a population of less than 6 million, a victim of Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing. Iran will not be wiped off the map.

The Iranians had no intention to attack anyone. On the contrary, they tried to find a negotiated solution with the U.S., but were stabbed in the back.

The Iranians have been preparing for such confrontation for decades. Despite more than 40 years of Westen sanctions, Iran has accumulated a great capability for retaliation, as we can now see. Tehran became fully aware that such preparations were necessary back in 1980, when Iran was attacked by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, encouraged and armed by the U.S. and Israel. Iran was taken by surprise then, and it realized that it was militarily vulnerable. And it has learned the lesson, transforming itself into a strong military power.

The truth is that the U.S. and Israel are profoundly sick societies, with Trump and Netanyahu’s actions clearly manifesting the disease. The U.S. is trying to escape the decline and the Western civilization’s shipwreck by forcibly regaining its increasingly contested world hegemony. The ultimate target is China, “the most powerful country relative to us since the 19th century,” as stated in U.S. National Defense Strategy released in January. Israel, for its part, is seeking to gain dominance in the Middle East. Only two major countries oppose it—Iran and Turkey. If Iran succumbs, Turkey is likely to be the next victim.

But we must all realize that the U.S. and Israel’s criminal aggression against Iran is a brazen violation of the international law and, hence, a threat to all of us.