Deconstructing Israel–Iran Narratives Through a Global South Lens

Introduction

The latest surge in hostilities between Iran and Israel is rooted in a long history of political rivalry, ideological contestation, and power imbalances.

Tensions have simmered for decades, building up to June 13, 2025 (Gulf News, 2025), when Israel's missile strikes against suspected Iranian nuclear facilities. Tehran responded with retaliatory action, further escalating the conflict. The United States intervened first by targeting three Iranian atomic sites and subsequently called for a ceasefire, one that remains tenuous and inconsistently observed by both parties.

This piece seeks to reframe the conversation through a Global South lens, a perspective that is often overlooked but is crucial in understanding the Israel-Iran conflict. This lens foregrounds human experiences, interrogates structural power, and questions hegemonic narratives. As Edward Said observed, "Narratives are never innocent. They are instruments of power."

Critique By Narrative

Five dominant narratives have shaped the international response to the Israel-Iran conflict. These framings are each infused with ideological motives that often suppress marginalized perspectives. Below, we examine each narrative and offer a critical counterpoint grounded in Global South Thinking.

1.Resistance Against Zionism (Iranian-Led Narrative)

Iran positions its actions as part of a broader ideological struggle against Zionism, framing itself as a defender of oppressed peoples and Islamic solidarity. Central to this is the "Axis of Resistance" (Ataie, 2024), a coalition including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis mobilized against perceived western imperialism and particularly against Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

While this narrative draws on legitimate grievances, it often masks Iran's authoritarian consolidation of power and instrumentalization of the Palestinian cause to justify proxy warfare. It silences the dissent of civilians within Iran and obscures the internal crises affecting its population.

From a Global South standpoint, it is crucial to distinguish between genuine resistance and state-led instrumentalization. Geopolitical actors should not co-opt the Palestinian struggle as a tool for their ambitions. This narrative warns us that even anti-imperialist rhetoric can be used to mask expansionism and suppress democratic aspirations.

2. Security and Survival (Israeli-led Narrative)

Israel frames its military actions as essential for national security and survival, asserting that it faces existential threats from its hostile neighbors, notably Iran. Preemptive strikes are justified as necessary to prevent nuclear escalation and regional destabilization. This rhetoric is justified as essential to avoid atomic escalation and regional destabilization. This narrative draws from past trauma, the Holocaust, reinforcing a right to aggressive self-defense.

However, this framing overlooks Israel's role in destabilizing the region through surveillance, occupation, and disproportionate use of force. It often delegitimizes criticism and marginalizes the suffering of Palestinian civilians, especially in Gaza, where humanitarian needs are dire(United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA], 2025).

For the Global South, this narrative offers a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing trauma and exceptionalism to justify militarism. It raises key questions about who defines security and whose survival is prioritized in a post-colonial context. These are vital considerations for constructing equitable security frameworks that prevent the replication of systemic violence.

3. Proxy War Narrative

This framing casts the Iran-Israel conflict as a regional power struggle played through proxies across the Middle East, specifically in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen(UNHCR, 2024). It suggests that these states are locked in a geopolitical chess match, each advancing their interests through indirect warfare.

While partially accurate, this narrative erases the agency of other non-state actors and the local population. Groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, as well as state actors such as Saudi Arabia and the United States, are not passive; instead, they play a strategic role and seek their own goals.

It is essential to highlight the dangers of framing local struggles as mere extensions of global rivalries. Understanding the root causes of conflicts is crucial, as it warns against losing historical and cultural context, underscoring the importance of understanding root causes rather than reducing conflicts to foreign agendas.

4. Nuclear Tensions (Western-led Narrative)

Western states frequently cite fears that Iran may be seeking nuclear weapons capabilities, framing this pursuit as an existential threat to regional and global security. "Western powers have used these concerns to justify actions such as placing Iran under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) surveillance, imposing diplomatic sanctions, and launching overt military operations and preemptive strikes on Iranian soil (Khan, 2025). Meanwhile, Israel remains ambiguous about their nuclear arsenal. Moreover, Israel is not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and thus escapes international scrutiny (Middle East Eye, 2025). However, we must not overlook the fact that the NPT is only binding to the states that are its signatories.

Additionally, Article IV of the NPT explicitly allows for the peaceful use of nuclear technology. This article enable any country to developpe atomic power for non military purposes. This double standard reveals how discourse can be weaponized to uphold global hierarchies and restrict sovereign technological development in the Global South.

A more just non-proliferation regime must ensure equal treatment of states logically. The Global South must challenge these asymmetries and advocate for a system where nuclear governance is rooted in transparency, equity, and mutual accountability.

5. Global Power Game

This narrative frames the conflict as part of a broader global rivalry between U.S.-aligned powers, including Israel and NATO member states, and a rising coalition led by China, Russia, and Iran, highlighting the Middle East as a key strategic battleground in a multipolar world.

Some analysts emphasize that we must understand the Israel–Iran tensions within the context of U.S.–China–Russia competition. For instance, The Financial Times reports that China has started "reconsidering Donald Trump's isolationism" after recent U.S. strikes, showing that Beijing closely monitors regional developments. Meanwhile, NATO officials emphasize the importance of deterrence and urge all parties to de-escalate tensions. This dynamic underscores the Middle East's role as a critical arena for geopolitical interests and the potential dangers that this conflict poses to global stability.

Grounded in geopolitical reality, this narrative marginalized human lives. It reduces conflicts to a zero-sum game between superpowers and ignores the devastating toll on civilians in places like Gaza, Beirut, and Sana'a (Middle East Eye, 2025). It normalizes militarism as a tool of diplomacy and perpetuates the logic of imperialism.

For the Global South, this serves as a reminder that sovereignty is often disregarded in global power dynamics. It is necessary to resist board-game diplomacy that treats lives and nations as pawns. Instead, we must center justice, accountability, and human dignity in the responses and analysis I take. This reminder is not just a theoretical exercise but a call to action for all of us.

Conclusion

As of June 2025, a ceasefire remains in place. However, the roots of the conflict run deep, and its solution needs a meticulous approach. It requires rethinking dominant narratives, a commitment to justice, and rejecting militarized exceptionalism. In the current context, the Global South must actively engage with nuance, uplift the voices of the affected, and challenge the systems that perpetuate disparities. Only through such actions can we be equipped to face similar unexpected escalations.

References

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