For many young Americans their country has been at war their entire lives, but with little to no media coverage or information spread about it– the American war with Afghanistan has raged silently for years. Could the same thing happen with Iran?
Social media is silent on the American conflict with Iran and the impending danger it poses. The conflict began last year when President Trump decided to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. The deal was created to minimize Iran’s nuclear testing. Tensions heightened when Iran recently shot down an American military drone. The drone was extremely heavy-duty and built to avoid destruction,at $110 million each, the Global Hawk needs three people to remotely pilot it and its sensors. Wider in wingspan than a Boeing 737, it has a Rolls Royce engine moving it along at around 500 miles per hour as it hoovers up signals and images normally at 65,000 feet to keep out of the way of surface-to-air missiles. This action prompted a harsh and immediate reaction from the White House.
Many find it hard to tell if this attack was an act of aggression as both sides claim that the drone was shot down in different places. Iran claims the unmanned spy plane was downed after it encroached on Iranian airspace, but the US said the aircraft was hit over international territory. If the drone was attacked in international territory as the U.S. claims it would be a clear unprovoked instance of violence. Whether or not that permits military reaction it is unclear, but the Trump administration is making no moves to peaceful settlement.
In fact, President Trump initially authorized U.S. strikes on Iranian targets but they were canceled because of reasoning that a possible death toll of up to 150 was not proportional for the shooting down of a US drone.This moderate decision goes hand in hand with the President’s tweet that stated:
….Iran’s very ignorant and insulting statement, put out today, only shows that they do not understand reality. Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration. No more John Kerry & Obama!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2019
The tweet was in reaction to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani calling the Trump administration “mentally disabled” after the White House instituted new sanctions on Iran. Some analysts said the sanctions were largely symbolic, although the US treasury department said the measures would lock up billions of dollars in assets. Mr. Trump said the measures would deny Ayatollah Khomeini, his office, and those closely affiliated with him, access to key financial resources and support. President Trump blames Khomeini for the actions of the rest of the country.
Whether the crisis will escalate any further is still up in the air. With no military action officially taken by the United States, the Iran crisis may remain as just a battle of words and money.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.com
