Trump, Netanyahu, and the Kabuki Theatre Against Iran: A Dance of Hypocrisy and Hidden Agendas

by Amal Zadok

The recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities—framed as a necessary response to an existential threat—reveal not a sober security calculus, but a meticulously orchestrated spectacle. This geopolitical Kabuki theatre, as Dr. Adam Tabriz aptly termed it , features Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu as lead performers, leveraging military brinksmanship to mask domestic vulnerabilities and advance hidden objectives. Beneath the surface, this drama exposes staggering double standards in nuclear accountability, the strategic targeting of Iran to fracture emerging alliances like BRICS, and a parallel campaign to undermine China’s energy security via the New Silk Road.

Act I: The Nuclear Accountability Farce

Iran, despite its contentious relationship with the IAEA, remains subject to relentless scrutiny. It permits inspections (however contested), declared its facilities, and adheres—if imperfectly—to safeguards under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The IAEA’s May 2025 report confirms Iran’s stockpile of 400kg of highly enriched uranium , triggering justified concern. Yet this very transparency is weaponized against it: when Iran’s Fordow site was bombed in June 2025, the act violated international law and IAEA resolutions protecting nuclear infrastructure during conflict .

Israel, meanwhile, operates in a vacuum of impunity. A recent UK parliamentary report exposed its clandestine arsenal of 80–90 nuclear warheads, fueled by plutonium from the Dimona reactor—a facility hidden for decades behind false walls and misdirection . Israel refuses to join the NPT, forbids inspections, and has never faced IAEA censure. Its 1979 suspected nuclear test in the South Atlantic (the “double flash”) drew no consequences, and it consistently vetoes efforts to establish a Middle East nuclear-weapon-free zone . The silence of global nuclear bodies when Israel attacks Iran’s verified sites underscores a corrosive hypocrisy: accountability applies only to the disfavored.

Act II: The Geopolitical Script

This theatre’s central plot aims not at neutralizing a genuine threat, but at empowering its directors:

– Netanyahu’s Survival Gambit: Facing corruption charges and plummeting domestic support, Netanyahu leverages “wartime leadership” to deflect scrutiny. Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu’s trial as a “witch hunt” —mirroring his own rhetoric—exposes their symbiosis. By casting Iran as an existential foe, Netanyahu justifies his grip on power and distracts from Gaza’s quagmire and hostage crises.

– Trump’s BRICS Sabotage: Iran’s BRICS membership (finalized in 2023) positions it within a coalition challenging U.S. hegemony. The strikes on Iran forced BRICS into a delicate dance: its statement condemned the attacks as “violations of the UN Charter” but refrained from naming Israel or the U.S. . This friction sows division within the bloc, advancing Trump’s goal of fracturing multipolar alliances.

Act III: The New Silk Road Subplot

Trump’s antagonism extends beyond Iran to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a cornerstone of which is energy security across Central Asia. As Anatole Boute details in Energy Security Along the New Silk Road, this region’s stability is vital for China’s oil/gas corridors . By destabilizing Iran—a BRI linchpin—and provoking broader Middle Eastern chaos, Trump aims to:

1. Disrupt China’s access to critical energy transit routes.

2. Scare investors from BRI infrastructure projects, amplifying “debt trap” narratives.

3. Force China into costly detours, straining its economy.

The Kabuki climax—a “ceasefire” brokered by Trump after reciprocal strikes—reveals the artifice. No significant damage occurred at Al Udeid Air Base , and Israeli claims of rendering Fordow “inoperable” contradicted U.S. intelligence suggesting mere months of delay . The performance’s real success was in its staging: Netanyahu showcased strength to his base, Trump postured as a dealmaker amid reelection pressures, and Iran’s regional stature grew despite the bluster .

Curtain Call: The Illusion of Strength

This theatre’s legacy is a world order eroded by selective enforcement and performative militarism. The IAEA condemns Iran’s uranium stockpiles but stays silent as its inspected sites are bombed by a nuclear-armed state that shuns all oversight. BRICS calls for diplomacy while its own member is targeted. Trump and Netanyahu posture as saviors while their actual victories are illusions sold to domestic audiences.

Until the global community demands equal accountability—for Iran’s compliance gaps, Israel’s shadow arsenal, and the superpowers manipulating both—this dangerous Kabuki will continue. The next act could well feature a real mushroom cloud, exploited not as tragedy, but as political prop.

©️2025 Amal Zadok. All rights reserved

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