The Conflicts in Iran and What They Mean for the US
By DEANNA REYNOLDS
On January 3, 2020, the head of Iran’s security machinery, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani was killed by an American drone strike near the Baghdad airport. Suleimani was the leader in Iran’s efforts to shape the axis of Shiite influence around the Middle East.
During his life, Suleimani directed wars in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen by meddling with foreign intelligence and military strategy. He changed the course of the Syrain Civil War, strengthened Iran’s control over Iraq, sent waves of militia attacks against Israel, and was responsible for hundreds of American’s deaths.
Suleimani rose to power during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s by joining the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the 1979 Shiite revolution. In 1998, he became head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. He was also close to Iran’s supreme leader. In the Western world, he was seen as a terrorist, but many Iranian people viewed him as a hero.
The killing of Suleimani resulted in a worldwide, week long, conflict with a hovering air of uncertainty. Leaders scrambled to simmer down the conflicts and prevent war, while intelligence committees worked hard to gather information.
Iran retaliated by firing 16 missiles at army bases holding American troops, as a show of force, resulting in no deaths and few injuries (traumatic brain injuries were found in some troops days after the attack.) President Trump finally decided to stand down when Swiss intelligence informed the US that that would be the end of Iran’s retaliation for now. During the struggle however, Iran mistakenly fired a missile at a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing 176 civilians.
The struggle is not over between these two countries, due to a rivalry with a long history. Iran probably will find other ways to take revenge. Iraq may expel American forces, accomplishing what Suleimani tried to accomplish during his life.
After this episode, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that American troops had to do more in Iran, because there was the threat of “imminent” attack from Iran and Trump added that four American embassies were targeted, agreeing with Pompeo. However, officials quickly corrected this by stating that there was no information on any attacks and it was a mistake to announce this.
This struggle offered a quick interlude to Trump’s impeachment inquiry, the escalation of decades long feuds, the death of innocent civilians, and one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trump’s presidency.