Letters | As the US attacks Iran, the ancient Battle of Carrhae offers lessons
Readers discuss the war in the Middle East, the opportunity for Colombians in Hong Kong to vote, the importance of teacher well-being, and the poon choi tradition
In 53 BC, General Surena of the Parthian empire handed Rome one of its most humiliating defeats in the Battle of Carrhae. Surena used horse archers to rain showers of arrows from a distance on the Romans, supported by a sophisticated camel-train logistics system that allowed for a continuous supply of ammunition. Rome’s rigid heavy infantry, exhausted and unable to close the distance, was decimated. The lesson was timeless: a rigid superpower will always falter against an asymmetric opponent capable of dictating the economic and physical cost of war.
Today, Surena’s spectre haunts the Strait of Hormuz. The launch of “Operation Epic Fury” by Washington has opened the Pandora’s box of direct confrontation with Tehran. However, beneath the veneer of modern drone technology and ballistic missiles, Iran’s strategic logic remains rooted in the ancient Persian doctrine.
What I call Iran’s “modern arrow” doctrine is exemplified by its kamikaze drones. Much like Surena’s arrows, these low-cost munitions are designed to saturate advanced defence systems. A single drone costing thousands of dollars forces an adversary to expend interceptor missiles costing millions. This is not merely physical warfare; it is economic attrition.
Furthermore, unlike the personalised regimes of Saddam Hussein in Iraq or Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, the Islamic republic has an institutionalised system, which ensures that the state’s survival transcends any single individual, including the supreme leader. This multilayered architecture, supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, allows for automated retaliatory strikes.
Geographically, Iran uses the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic chokepoint. With oil prices threatening to breach US$100 per barrel following recent escalations, Tehran has created an economic fortress that strikes at global fiscal stability. From a legal perspective, aggressive strikes on Iranian population centres weaken the moral and legal standing of the West under the UN Charter, likely consolidating domestic Iranian support.