Vatican newspaper editor asks of Iran conflict: How far? How long?

March 04, 2026

In the most prominent front-page article in L’Osservatore Romano’s March 3 edition, the second-ranking official of the Vatican newspaper discussed the unknowns of the Iran conflict, asking, “How far? How long?”

“How far and how long: these are the unknowns of the conflict sparked by the United States and Israel’s attack on Iran,” wrote assistant editor Gaetano Vallini. “It is unclear to what extent those who planned yet another war foresaw the consequences that are unfolding on the ground. Iran’s response, in fact, is focusing on Israel—which has resumed targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon in response to attacks by the Shiite movement—and on US bases in the Middle East, but has also attacked some Gulf countries and even Europe, specifically Cyprus, where a drone attack on the British base that London had granted to US military forces.”

Vallini continued:

This is the first time since the end of World War II that a European Union country has been affected by a conflict. This involvement has taken the EU by surprise—furthermore, none of the 27 had been warned by Washington of the attack on Iran—and it is unclear how to react. In fact, only Spain immediately withdrew from the conflict, saying no to the use of its bases.

This new war, which broke out while negotiations were underway between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear issue, is once again igniting a part of the world that has already suffered from a situation of great and dangerous instability for decades. And it is impossible to say with certainty when it will end. Those who initiated it assume four or five weeks, but do not rule out the possibility of extending the period and deploying troops. Nor does it appear that the consequences of failing to achieve the ultimate goal—regime change in Tehran—have been fully considered.

“Meanwhile, deaths pile up, destruction piles up, while fears of a much broader conflict with unpredictable consequences grow.,” Valinni concluded. “For this reason, as Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday, it is necessary to ‘stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.’“

 

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Further information:

• Fino a dove? Fino a quando? (L'Osservatore Romano, 3/3/26)