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The thing is Iroh could have fought for his crown. There were enough suspicious "coincidences" surrounding his younger brother's ascension to the throne. But he did not care. He could not bring himself to care even if part of his mind told him he should. After Lu Ten's death, everything was so hard, even breathing. Every meal was a battle.
They say time heals everything, but it is not true. It is just that, when Zuko hesitantly asks for help or invites Iroh to a picnic in the garden Ursa preferred, the heavy oppressive grief isn't quite so oppressive for a while. With Zuko's smiles and confused frowns, breathing returns to the instinctive movement it's supposed to be instead of the conscious effort it had been since that fateful day. But the grief is still there, it still hits him sometimes like a mace to the chest.
To be a good ruler is a full-time job, however, Iroh feels like dealing with his grief is one as well. Not to mention the war. To rule a nation that is at war with the world is even harder. And he has no wish to do so. Iroh wants the war to end, he wants peace but he has no illusions about how hard that would be to achieve. And a man who had to force himself to eat wasn't strong enough to do it.
So he let them push him to the shadows, let them talk about what a failure he is. It doesn't matter. And he is a failure because Lu Ten died under his command. He had commanded the siege. So many died on his say-so. And yet he couldn't even protect his own son. So, he let himself become a little more than a joke.
And maybe he has even slowly healed a bit because sometimes he wakes with a smile. Because the tea starts to taste good again. And then he fails again. He has let Zuko into the War Room, into that accursed meeting. He didn't shush him.
He has hoped against his better judgement that Ozai would not make Zuko fight him. But he has found that Ozai misled Zuko with the Agni Kai too late to intervene. He could not stop it and he could not look. So he looks away, Zuko's screams ringing in his ears. He balls his hands into fists.
He's failed again. He had failed them all: Lu Ten, Ursa, Zuko... But no more.
The thing is, he could not have intervened within the sacred rules of Agni Kai, but he could challenge Ozai to another one. So, he does. Right after glaring court physicians into tending to Zuko. Right after the mockery of a duel that should have never happened.
The thing is, he can already hear the malicious whispers about how weak he is. Challenging Ozai, right after he already fought a fire duel (as if it could have been called a duel — in Iroh's humble opinion it takes two to tango) because he hasn't got the stomach for proper discipline. As if torture is the same as discipline. As if Zuko did something terrible instead of simply speaking out of turn.
The thing is, Iroh does not want to be Fire Lord, but he can not stand for this. The thing is, sometimes, what we wish for doesn't matter. The thing is, Zuko was right. That plan would be a betrayal towards the loyal new recruits. The plan’s wording certainly was.
Fire is life and life does not follow even the best-laid plans. The thing is, Ozai miscalculates because while Iroh is no cold-blooded killer he was a feared general. He is the Dragon of the West.
And enraging a dragon is never wise. Fire Lord Ozai finds that the hard way. May Agni have mercy on his soul.
The Fire Lord is dead, long live the Fire Lord!