The death of key Iranian commander in Baghdad airport strike ordered by Trump last has led to speculations on the possibility of war between these two countries
Iran had pledged retaliatory attacks against the US for last week’s killing of Qassem Soleimani, the country’s most powerful and revered military leader, who was accused of plotting imminent and extremely harmful attacks against US forces in the region. A few days after the airstrike ordered by Trump, missiles were launched at Iraqi bases housing US army members in which no deaths were recorded.
President Donald Trump, said that Iran now “appears to be standing down” but this led to Rouhani threatening more retaliatory moves if found necessary. He said, “If the US makes another mistake it will receive a very dangerous response,” during a call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. According to him, “The Americans and the White House have no understanding of the region and recognised what a mistake they have made after their terrorist measure and following the uprising of regional nations and the unity that was created.”.
Some countries and prominent leaders have opened up and added their voices to the cries of citizens of both countries asking that there be no war. The Pope appealed to US and Iran to pursue dialogue as well as self-restraint in order to avoid a build up of conflict in the Middle East. The appeal was made as his first direct comment on the current crisis, in a yearly speech he gives that has come to be known as his “State of the World” address to ambassadors associated with the Vatican. “Particularly troubling are the signals coming from the entire region following the heightening of tensions between Iran and the United States,” Pope Francis told the diplomats from more than 180 states. He said the tensions risked “compromising the gradual process of rebuilding in Iraq, as well as setting the groundwork for a vaster conflict that all of us would want to avert”.
Japan has also declared that it stands with the US on its response to Iranian missile attacks on Iraqi bases hosting US and coalition troops, according to local media. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: “Japan has been urging all parties involved to exercise self-restraint so it’s our stance that we support the restrained response”
Not forgetting Trump’s ongoing impeachment proceedings, the US House of Representatives has gone ahead to approve an extensively symbolic resolution which aims to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to call for war on Iran. It aims to mandate congressional approval for any conflict with Iran, except in cases of an imminent attack against the US. However, neither the US nor Iran has declared plans for further military action. Donald Trump, a Republican, tweeted that he hoped “all House Republicans will vote against Crazy Nancy Pelosi’s War Powers Resolution”.
Recent happenings surrounding the issue at hand include the crash of a Ukrainian plane, which is reported to have been caused by an accidental shooting by Iran, according to a US official. This led to the death of 176 people. However, Iran claim this assessment is a “big lie.”.
