The United States and Iran have always had tensions, and they have all but deescalated with the events that have been happening recently. After our assassination of the Iranian elite Quid leader Qasem Soleimani on January 3, Iran had promised retaliation and followed through with it on the 7th, striking two military bases in Iraq. A couple of other incidents were a Ukranian plane crash in Iran that they are refusing to give the black box for, and a stampede at the general’s funeral that killed 56 and injured over 200 people. With so much happening, it is difficult to keep up with the updates and constant changes happening between the two countries. 

First of all, on January 3, the U.S. carried out a drone strike at the Baghdad Airport. They had received intel that Soleimani had been arriving and would be in a convoy later on. At about 1:00 A.M. local time, they had the MQ-9 Reaper drone launch several missiles, striking the convoy on Baghdad Airport Road, engulfing the two cars in flames and killing 10 people, including Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. This was the first time that we have killed a military leader since WWII.

However, many things have seemed to go bad because of us doing this. First, they bombed back a military base in Iraq with twelve missiles. Thankfully, no casualties were reported, and all seemed well until a plane crash happened shortly after. At first, we believed it was engine failure but still wanted to see the black box. However, we were refused the surveillance and began to grow suspicious. We then received the information that the plane was “accidentally” shot down by Iranian missiles. This has since caused many protests and riots in Iran, and people are seeming to start to fight back.

With so many tensions in the Middle East, it is hard for some Americans to feel safe. However, even though it is possible for war to occur,  many sources and people say that it is unlikely.