The Us-iran Conflict: on The Threshold of The Third World War

Iran and the United States of America are among the most powerful countries in the world. They are often perceived as threats to others due to their formidable military equipment, well-trained soldiers, and advanced vehicles and jet fighters. According to The Sun Newspapers, one of the reasons the US-Iran conflict is on the brink of war is the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020. They reported that he was killed by a US airstrike, specifically two missiles fired by an MQ-9 drone, after he disembarked from an aircraft at Baghdad airport. The US claimed that the bombing was justified because Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats throughout the region.” This airstrike occurred just days after Iranian militia and their supporters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad. Such confrontations between Iran and the US are not new, as similar conflicts have occurred in past years.

The US-Iran Tensions: Nearing the Brink of World War III

Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, Iran and the US were among the most successful allies in the Middle East, led by the US-backed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In 2002, George W. Bush included the Islamic Republic in his speech, referring to Iran as part of an “axis of evil” along with North Korea and Iraq (Bush, 2002). Furthermore, President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, exacerbating tensions between the two nations (Sanger, 2018). These developments have brought the USA and Iran to a precarious state that could potentially lead to a declaration of World War III, causing a significant disruption globally. In my perspective, Iran poses a threat that must be managed due to its substantial arsenal and skilled soldiers. The United States likely assassinated one of Iran's top generals because he allegedly planned attacks on American diplomats and intended to retaliate against the US embassy, endangering American lives. President Donald Trump claimed that the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani was intended to “stop the war” and bring peace to the world, as he believed the general posed a significant threat (Trump, 2020). However, in Iran, Soleimani is regarded as a hero, particularly for his battles against the dangerous group known as ISIS. Many Iranians reportedly attended his funeral, although this number has not been confirmed (CNN, 2020).

Following the assassination, the Iranian populace vowed vengeance for their fallen hero, asserting that the matter would not end without retribution. According to CNN, Major General Hossein Dehghan, a top military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, stated that “they would even the score by targeting military sites” (CNN, 2020). For further information about the US-Iran conflict, Al Jazeera reported a tragic incident following Iran's missile attacks on US forces. A passenger plane bound for Kyiv, Ukraine, crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, just an hour after Iran's missile launch. All 176 passengers on board perished (Al Jazeera, 2020). The United States is confident that Iran shot down the Ukrainian plane with one of its missiles. The Iranians admitted responsibility for the crash and immediately apologized for the incident. Additionally, the IRGC commander-in-chief was summoned to a closed-door session of parliament to explain the missile launch incident. He accepted full responsibility, stating, “I swear to almighty God that I wished I were in that plane and had crashed with them and had burned but had not witnessed this tragic incident.” He pledged to rectify the mistake but affirmed that it would not deter them from their conflict with the United States (Salami, 2020). General Hossein Salami emphasized that the IRGC did not intend to kill US troops when it launched missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US forces. He told the parliament, “Our aim was not really to kill our opponent or any enemy soldiers. That was not important. The physical destruction was just because we wanted to say that we are far much more superior to the enemy” (Salami, 2020). On the second day of protests over the Ukrainian plane crash, demonstrators across Iran continued to pressure the leadership after the military admitted to mistakenly shooting down the passenger plane. Protesters claimed, “They are lying that our enemy is the Americans; the enemy is right here in Iran” (Al Jazeera, 2020).

Conclusion

From my perspective, the conflict between Iran and the US illustrates Iran's recklessness and lack of control, contributing to incidents unrelated to their conflict with the US. As for the US, the decision to assassinate an Iranian general was misguided, as it undoubtedly pushed both nations closer to declaring war. They should have pursued a peaceful resolution through negotiation to prevent further casualties and avoid affecting the global economy. The Iran-US conflict could lead to a significant breakdown for everyone if war is declared, potentially ending our society and preventing us from achieving the peace we all desire.

References

Al Jazeera. (2020). Iran admits to downing Ukrainian plane, cites 'human error'. Retrieved from [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/1/11/iran-admits-to-downing-ukrainian-plane-cites-human-error]

Bush, G. W. (2002). State of the Union Address. Retrieved from [https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-before-joint-session-the-congress-the-state-the-union]

CNN. (2020). Iran vows revenge after US kills top general. Retrieved from [https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/middleeast/soleimani-death-us-iran-reaction-intl/index.html]

Sanger, D. E. (2018). Trump Abandons Iran Nuclear Deal He Long Scorned. The New York Times. Retrieved from [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/world/middleeast/trump-iran-nuclear-deal.html]

Salami, H. (2020). Statement on the Ukrainian plane incident. Retrieved from [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-crash-salami-idUSKBN1ZC0L8]

Trump, D. (2020). Remarks on Iran. Retrieved from [https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-iran/]