It was a routine stop at a traffic signal in New Delhi. I noticed a beautiful green electric car at the front of the line. I had seen them on the road before, but this was the first time I saw one up close.
I noted the name and looked it up on the Internet. It was a Vietnamese car, available in different models costing up to Rs 25 lakh. This small observation sparked a flood of memories and thoughts about the nation that made it.
I remembered April 30, 1975. That was the day Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended. Our editor, Nikhil Chakravartty, came to the office with a packet of laddus to celebrate the event.
A few years ago, I visited both South and North Vietnam. I found the people there hardworking, punctual, and very welcoming to tourists. Producing a car and selling it globally is no small feat. It is something the Soviet Union, or its successor Russia, could never achieve with an exportable car.
The Americans once feared that if the communists won in Vietnam, it would spell the end of democracy worldwide. That fear has been proven false. Vietnam was the first nation to teach America a lesson. The latest to do so is Iran.
On July 4, America will turn 250. Many states have refused to participate in the grand celebration President Donald Trump had planned. How could anyone celebrate when the U.S. suffered what many regard as an abject surrender? What separates America and Iran is a zero. The U.S. civilisation is 250 years old, while Iranian (Persian) civilisation is 2,500 years old.
The current regime in Tehran came to power in 1979, when the Shah was driven out. Ayatollah Khomeini, who orchestrated the campaign against the U.S.-backed Shah, returned from exile in Paris.
It was this regime that Trump and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu believed they could defeat through aerial bombardment. They killed thousands of people, including schoolchildren. The U.S. has the weapons to kill many more, but it does not have the capability to defeat Iran.
The recent deal the U.S. entered into with Iran in Switzerland, in the presence of the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, is cited by some as proof of this. It suggests that America gained little while sacrificing much.
In March, Trump predicted the war would end with the "unconditional surrender" of Iran. His prediction came true, except that, in the view of his critics, the one who surrendered was the U.S.
The deal led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for the free movement of ships. However, the waterway had remained open until the conflict escalated. After the 60-day period for reaching a comprehensive agreement, there are signs that Iran may seek greater influence over traffic through the Strait.
Now, other countries, such as Malaysia, which controls the Strait of Malacca, and the Houthis, who influence the Bab al-Mandab Strait, also possess leverage that could disrupt global trade. India, too, plans to develop the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into a strategic maritime hub overlooking a significant share of global trade routes. China has already begun scrutinising vessels bound for Taiwan.
Iran can now sell its oil more openly in the international market. Until the conflict, it often had to sell at discounted prices to countries such as China. The U.S. is now expected to address the status of Iranian assets and facilitate future investment discussions.
U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance triumphantly claimed that nuclear inspectors would soon be in Iran. He overlooked the fact that, under the 2015 deal signed by President Obama, inspectors were already present and Iran had agreed to honour the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran never officially stated that it sought a nuclear bomb. It was Trump who withdrew from that agreement, arguing that it was not beneficial to the U.S. In retrospect, some believe that decision undermined an arrangement that had helped contain tensions.
The new framework agreement specifies that, over the next 60 days, the parties will attempt to resolve all remaining issues, including those related to Iran's nuclear programme. It is common knowledge that Iran possesses a large quantity of enriched uranium. How it will dispose of or manage that stockpile remains uncertain.
If Iran follows North Korea's example and develops a nuclear bomb during this period, it would not surprise many observers. After all, some argue that the absence of a bomb emboldened the U.S. and Israel to attack Iran. In his autobiography A Promised Land, Barack Obama quotes an expert as saying: "With enough highly enriched uranium, a smart high school Physics student with access to the Internet can produce a bomb." There is no guarantee that a final agreement will be reached within 60 days. This gives Tehran a window of opportunity, should it choose to pursue that path.
What did America gain from this war? According to its critics, very little. It lost lives and spent billions of dollars on military operations in the Gulf. Americans also felt the impact through higher fuel prices. The total loss in assets and weapons, including compensation for the families of the dead and injured, has been estimated by some commentators at up to $1 trillion. That is a huge sum, even for a country like the U.S.
The greatest loss may be one of prestige. Other than Netanyahu, few world leaders openly stood with America. Even the Israeli leader now appears dissatisfied with the outcome. Left to himself, some critics argue, he would have pursued a far more aggressive regional policy.
Even now, Trump continues to threaten Iran. To many observers, those threats now carry less weight than before. America is no longer viewed universally as the world's policeman.
Trump once promised to make Gaza the "Riviera of the Middle East." Little is heard about that proposal today. It is a pity, many would argue, that Americans must endure a leader whom they regard as unworthy of his office and dangerous to the world.
The story that began with a Vietnamese car at a Delhi traffic signal ends with a simple truth: nations rise through hard work, not war. America's experience with Vietnam and Iran suggests that military might alone cannot crush a people's spirit. Perhaps it is time for the world's superpower to learn what Vietnam and Iran already know: true strength lies in building, not bombing.