Nostradamus’ chilling prophecies gaining traction amid US‑Iran conflict
PARIS, FRANCE: The joint military strike on Iran by the US and Israel has caused many to believe that the 16th-century astrologer Nostradamus predicted this war.
Following the death of Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei and the subsequent retaliatory strikes, people are going through his 500-year-old book for clues about what happens next.
Nostradamus’ visions of high-tech conflict
The 1555 publication Les Propheties has returned to the spotlight as observers are trying to match today's high-tech war with the prophet's mysterious writings.
One specific passage in Quatrain I:26, which states, "The great swarm of bees will arise…by night the ambush…" has been widely interpreted by observers as a reference to the drone warfare currently defining the US and Iranian military capabilities.
While the US and Israel maintain the strikes were a pre-emptive necessity due to nuclear concerns, the unfolding chaos has led many to search the Renaissance doctor’s 942 prophecies for a glimpse of the future.
Nostradamus’ vision of 'three fires' and the God of War
Predictions regarding the duration of the current violence have also centered on a line stating, "Seven months great war, people dead through evil / Rouen, Evreux, the King will not fail," which some suggest dictates a seven-month lifespan for the war.
However, this interpretation faces scrutiny as Rouen and Evreux are locations in France with no established link to the Middle Eastern situation.
Meanwhile, a third prediction is making people even more afraid that the war will last a long time.
"When Mars rules his path among the stars, human blood will sprinkle the sanctuary. Three fires rise from the eastern sides, while the West loses its light in silence."
Because Mars is the Roman god of war, the passage is being used to suggest the conflict will continue to rage.
Previous predictions of Nostradamus
People believe his predictions because of what happened in the past, such as the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which some link to the line, "Within two cities, there will be scourges the like of which was never seen."
Similarly, Quatrain I:87, reading "Earth-shaking flames from the world's center roar / And make the earth around a 'New City' quiver," is frequently cited as proof he predicted the 9/11 attacks.
Social media has become a hub for these theories, with one X user writing: "According to 400-year-old Nostradamus prophecies, we may have just opened the Pandora's Box of Worldly Proportions," while another added, "Nostradamus said this would happen."
