Even as the war with Iran escalates and threatens global oil supplies and economic stability, critics argue Australia should distance itself from the conflict rather than risk deeper involvement, writesGeorge Grundy.

HAVING SPENT $2 trillion over 20 years, replacing the Taliban with the Taliban, Americas glorious war machine has recently shown improved efficiency, this time taking just eight days to replace aKhameneiwithanotherKhamenei.

The Persian Gulf is ablaze, both on land andwater, as the winner of the FIFA Peace Prize drops bombs on schools andhospitals, hand-in-hand with a wantedwar criminal. These are the darkest of times.

Three Republican presidents in a row have now followed the same playbook crash the economy and invade a Middle Eastern country but not evenGeorge W Bushs catastrophic Iraq folly was as poorly planned as this. Any chance that military action against Iran could replicate Januarys smash-and-grabraidon Venezuela was quickly extinguished when U.S. Tomahawk missiles struck a girls' school in the city of Minab, killing at least 170, most of them children.

It has been gradually building towards the inevitable: Australia entering the fray in the Middle East again this time to fight Iran in another war in which it is not threatened.

Those who survived, or who tried to offer survivors aid, were also killed in adouble-tapsecondary strike, a stomach-churning abuse of human nature that our supposedly moral and righteous side uses regularly. This single event is likely the worst war crime carried out by America since theMy Laimassacre and will not be quickly forgotten by Iranians.

The horror in Minab was just the start of an avalanche of war crimes carried out by Israel and America, not least thetorpedoingof an unarmed Iranianfrigatein international waters and thedestructionof Tehrans oil storage facilities, causing an environmentalcatastrophein a city of 9 million people.

The risk of a region-wide cataclysm is very real nearly all states in the Gulf region rely heavily on desalination plants for their drinking water. The U.S. has struck Iranian desalination plants. If Iran responds in kind (as its Foreign Minister hassuggested), millions of people could wake up to find there is no water to drink, under the hot Arabian sun.

Irans mining of theStrait of Hormuz(through which transits nearly 25% of the worlds seaborne oil) further indicates that this is not going to be a swiftly resolved matter, nor does it affect just oil. Global supply chains in natural gas, petrochemicals and vital fertilisers will be disrupted for months, and should (as seemslikely) Iran choose to use its Yemeni proxies and close the nearby strait ofBab el-Mandebto the south, another 9% of the global oil supply will be cut off, severing the last maritime export route from the Middle East, effectively closing the Suez Canal and forcing ships to travel via the Cape of Good Hope.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) hassaidthat the world is about to experience the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.The Economisthas suggested the disruption will be twice as bad as the oil shocks of the 1970s. At best, the world is going to see a period of deep recession, at worst, a catastrophic collapse reminiscent of 2007/08 and a new world war.

Israel, in particular, now acts as an entirely rogue state, taking advantage of the moment to attack Lebanon (again), usingbannedwhite phosphorus weapons on residential areas,displacingover 800,000 Lebanese and dropping bombs onRed Crescentheadquarters,universitiesand civilians intents, whilst annexing yetmoreof the West Bank and continuing its genocide in Gaza.

Israel has an undeclared arsenal of around two hundred nuclear missiles and isnota signatory to theNon-Proliferation Treaty. America has the most nuclear bombs on Earth. Trump hassaidthat the only constraint on his power is his own morality. Two genuine maniacs have their fingers on the nuclear trigger.

Trumps strike on Iran signals a shift toward a more volatile world order, where power increasingly overrides restraint.

This all combines with the deeply unsettling thought that perhaps this war is in great part just to distract Americans from the idea that the President was best friends withJeffrey Epsteinand has been credibly accused of rapingchildren. War crimes to cover up sex crimes, something amajorityof Americans already believe.

Australia has no business associating with a belligerent, genocidal, wanted war criminal and a moronic, malignant narcissist, who is allegedly also a paedophile. It is profoundly against the national interest to go along with this madness. Acquiescence to a war whose goals have yet to even bedefinedputs Australians in the line of fire and risks getting this country involved in a much broader conflagration, with our only reward appearing to be an ally set on implementing 15%tariffson our exports.

We should, in short, tell America and Israel that Australia will play no part in the war in Iran. Summon their ambassadors and make it crystal clear that this country vehemently opposes yet another war in the Middle East. Close American bases across the country, includingPine Gap. Cancel the insane AUKUS plan (that isnoteven going to deliver submarines) and ask for our money back.

America and Israel should be sanctioned by Australia and any other governments that still adhere to theUN Charter. The so-called rules-based order, so long a fig leaf when placed in the hands of dominant powers, lies tattered. U.S. Defence SecretaryPete HegsethsaysAmerica no longer wishes to respect the rules of war. That sentiment is likely to be adopted by Iran, just as well.

Trump and Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahuhave launched an illegal war of aggression and assassinated a head of state (who was also the spiritual leader of Shia Islam) during Ramadan.

Had any other country done something as reckless as this, Australia would have declared them our enemy. Instead, Australian society is twisting itself into a pretzel to accommodate the Israeli lobby, as policebash headson Sydney streets and non-violent protesters arearrestedfor wearing t-shirts with banned slogans on them (from the river to the sea an expression regularlyusedby Israeli politicians). Australians' freedom of speech has been criminalised to placate a rogue nuclear nation engaged in genocide and toying with World War Three.

Prime MinisterAnthony Albaneseshould look no further thanJoe BidenandTony Blairas examples of left-of-centre leaders who saw their lives work entirely overshadowed by the failure to stand up when an immoral war was launched by a supposed ally.

The fact that it is almost inconceivable that Albaneses government will take any kind of stance against this insane war illustrates just how far this nations sovereignty and basic morality have been sacrificed, and the further this goes, the harder it will be for Australia to extricate itself.

George Grundyis an English-Australian author, media professional and businessman. You can follow him@georgewgrundy.

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