This is apropos a letter to the Editor titled ‘How Ukraine and Iran rewrote the rules of war’ carried by the newspaper on Sunday, Monday and yesterday.
Yet Iran possessed advantages that could not be measured solely in GDP, military spending or advanced weapon systems. It possessed strategic depth, resilience and geography. Iran’s ability to absorb pressure while maintaining its military and political cohesion surprised many observers. Rather than relying on conventional parity, Tehran emphasized missiles, drones, asymmetric warfare and maritime leverage. It demonstrated that a state facing superior conventional military power could nevertheless impose significant costs on stronger adversaries.
Most importantly, Iran highlighted the strategic importance of geography. The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil consumption and more than one-quarter of seaborne oil trade passes, became a focal point of international concern. Suddenly, a regional conflict was no longer merely a regional conflict. It became a potential threat to the global economy.
History demonstrates that major powers often respond to resistance by increasing pressure rather than reassessing assumptions. What begins as a regional confrontation can gradually expand geographically and economically. Maritime competition can spread from one strategic corridor to another. Economic warfare can become a global phenomenon affecting billions of people who have no direct connection to the original conflict.
This is perhaps the most important lesson emerging from both Ukraine and Iran.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
The writer is a former Press Secretary to the President, An ex-Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France, a former MD, SRBC Macomb, Detroit, Michigan