Hugh J. Curran
Informed Comment / April 13, 2026
Orono, Maine – Two millennia ago a man who gained a fortune in real estate speculation had a major role to play in the Roman Republic. Marcus Lucinius Crassus, who began his public career as a military commander under Sulla and after Sulla became Roman dictator and property was confiscated Crassus became wealthy. He was appointed a governor of Syria. and became convinced that, like Caesar, he too could gain military glory. He decided on the conquest of Parthia and with the assistance of his son, Publius Crassus, who joined him in Syria with 1000 Gallic cavalry, he crossed the Mesopotamian desert with seven legions and 4,000 cavalry, comprising 43,000 soldiers.
Unfortunately the guide he trusted, Ariamnes, was secretly a supporter of the Parthians (an Iranian speaking people), and lured him into a fatal march across the Desert, far from water, resulting in his Roman legions becoming weakened by tiredness and thirst when they finally had to confront the Parthians. The Parthians were led by King Orodes general, Surena, whose 10,000 man cavalry defeated the Romans at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. Crassus ignominious defeat resulted in the death of his son, and later himself. This defeat had a major impact on Roman politics since the Triumvirate, including Crassus, Caesar and Pompey were no longer viable. The Roman statesman and philosopher, Cicero called Crassus’ expedition a “Nulla Causa” War (i.e. lacking just cause) .
Five centuries previous to Crassus’ failed invasion, “Cyrus the Great”, the Persian leader of Iran, conquered Babylon and allowed the Jewish captives to return to Jerusalem. This generous gesture seems to have been largely forgotten by the present leaders of Israel.
Israel, in addition to its role of assisting the U.S. in bombing Iran, is also at war with Lebanon. Although Lebanon is considered part of the temporary “ceasefire” with Iran, Israel ignores the agreement and continues to devastate urban areas, resulting in hundreds being injured or killed. The stated intent is to defeat Hezbollah, but the underlying intent seems to be to turn Southern Lebanon into another Gaza,
Gideon Levy, writing for Haaretz in Israel, states that [due to these endless conflicts] “the unconditional link between the U.S. and Israel has become strained and that “the war in Iran may become a watershed of the relations between the United States and Israel. Severing the unconditional link between the two means Israel will have to decide between creating a different Israel – or having no Israel at all.”
One of the justifications for the Israeli obsession with Iran is that Hezbollah and Hamas are regarded as proxies of Iran. Craig Mokihiber, ex-UN Human Rights Director states that “Hezbollah and Hamas are often accused of being Iranian proxies, but they have a right, by international Law, to defend themselves. The fact that they are in an alliance with Iran does not mean they are proxies. They are home-grown organizations which did not exist before 1948 when their land was expropriated by Israelis”
Mokihiber continued: “pretending that those resisting occupation and displacement from their property are “proxies” is utterly false. They are NOT fighting for Iran. They are fighting apartheid, colonization, genocide and destruction of their homes. These two organizations are resistance groups who are indigenous, since the land of Palestine has been an essential part of their heritage for many generations”.
In terms of proxies, it is more likely that Israel is, in fact, a proxy of the U.S. It serves as a reliable partner to the U.S. in the Middle East, helping to advance shared security and military plans. In addition, Israel is a major recipient of US military aid amounting to several billion dollars annually, as well as being a major user of freely supplied weapons by the U.S.
In Israel, Zvi Barel noted at Haaretz that bombastic threats on Iran risk a Mideast catastrophe. The U.S. president has been escalating his rhetoric as his rosy predictions [of success] fall short although his threat to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure has been paused during this current “ceasefire”
Journalist Hanieh Qasemian of Zeteo interviewed Iranians in Tehran after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire. The underlying mood in Tehran was far from relief as some saw the ceasefire as a victory for Iran, while others thought their country had agreed too soon. Many remained deeply distrustful of the Americans, although there was a unifying feeling of raw defiance…. A bookseller thought that securing the Strait of Hormuz might cause Gulf states to reconsider supporting America. A young barista argued that the ceasefire came too soon and referred to the deaths of 170 young schoolchildren, killed by American bombs in Minab. “After so much innocent blood, there should not have been a ceasefire this quickly [She continued] I have no doubt the war will resume, [since] the US and Israel cannot be trusted.”
Theodore Postol, a Jewish-American professor at MIT, and expert on International Security, in a recent on-line interview, noted that “in the latest polls 70% of Americans are opposed to the Iran War. This high percentage indicates that major changes will need to take place. Because of the genocide in Gaza, a large percentage of Americans are turning away from Israel. All military aid to Israel should stop since Israel is being run by a murderous regime. They must be stopped before they end up destroying Israel. With new leaders, the first step will be to enact changes so that Israel can become a non-apartheid state.”
As for the Parthians, they were never conquered by Rome and, were never subservient to Rome. Crassus’ failed invasion bears some similarities to the current debacle in the Middle East, with modern Iran also being portrayed as weak and disorganized and should easily be defeated.
Hugh J. Curran teaches Peace and Reconciliation Studies at the University of Maine
