The killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani this past Friday is being called the riskiest move America has made in the Middle East since invading Iraq. Thousands of Iranians flooded the streets to mourn for the popular general seen by many as the second most powerful figure in the country, second only to the Ayatollah. President Donald Trump, who ordered the killing by drone strike, said the decision was made in order "to stop a war", but the conflict between Iran and the U.S. has actually been going on for at least 40 years.
History
America has a history of meddling in Iranian politics, to say the least, dating back to the '50s. In 1953, the Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, was a beloved figure and an advocate for Iranian control of Iranian oil. Great Britain had held control over the oil in the region for decades and they were not happy about Mossadegh's decision to step away from the negotiating table. Great Britain sought the help of the CIA in order to orchestrate a coup d'etat.
Great Britain and the U.S. may have been happy with the outcome, but the Iranian citizens were not. In 1979, a revolution led to the overthrow of the monarch, called the Shah, that was put in place by the U.S. government in 1953. After the revolution, the Shah was replaced by an ayatollah and a group of religious leaders.
However, the event that truly caught the attention of the American public was the kidnapping of US diplomats and Marines and the international media frenzy surrounding it. This kidnapping was dramatized in the 2012 film "Argo". This highly publicized show of hostility against US citizens led to increased tensions between the two countries. Since the 1980s, the war between Iran and the U.S. has mainly consisted of attacks by Iran on U.S. embassies as well as hijackings of passenger planes. America has been accused of abandoning Lebanon because of pressure by Iran. Until this year, the conflict hasn't involved the military of either country.
Killing of General Soleimani
On Friday, that all changed. Quasem Soleimani had just arrived at an airport in Baghdad when his convoy was taken out via drone strike. Soleimani was a top Iranian general with a long history of supporting, training, and arming terrorists. As a long time military man, Soleimani has never committed an act of terror himself. For 20 years, Soleimani led the most elite special forces division in the Middle East if not the world. He was the head of the Quds Force, a group of highly trained individuals known to be spies, soldiers, and tech experts. He is without question a bad actor working towards the destruction of the United States.
Donald Trump ordered the strike against Soleimani himself. despite input by his advisors, in order to stop "aggression in the region". It was apparently a complete shock to the Pentagon and the President has made it clear that he's not interested in what Congress has to say on the matter either. Trump tweeted that, should any U.S. citizens become the target of an Iranian strike, the U.S. will "quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner." The tweet was meant to stand as "notification to... Congress" that this retaliation would happen, apparently with or without congressional approval. Some law experts are questioning whether or not Trump had the authority to order the strike against Soleimani in the first place.
Retired Gen. David Petraeus told NPR that "It is impossible to overstate the importance" of the killing of Soleimani. Soleimani has long worked to create a network of "proxies throughout the region" to retaliate against Iran's enemies despite Iran's own economic and cultural unrest
The Iranian reaction has been swift and angry. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that "a forceful revenge awaits the criminals who have his blood and the blood of... martyrs... on their hands."
Iran announced on Sunday that they will no longer be limiting uranium production in accordance with JCPOA, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. This announcement follows months of Iran moving farther and farther away from compliance with the deal. However, they did make it clear that this decision could be reversed but only after all sanctions are removed from the country.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi parliament has voted to oust all U.S. troops stationed in the country. In response, Trump threatened to place sanctions on Iraq if the U.S. forces are expelled. Due to the increased tensions and violence in the area, the U.S. military has halted all efforts against ISIS in Iraq. 4,000 new U.S. troops are being sent to combat rising aggression in the Middle East as a result of the killing.
The financial sector
Update 01-07-20
Since the publication of this article, significant events have occurred in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Events are happening rapidly, and the content of this article is subject to change.
Trump released a flurry of tweets over the weekend some of which may threaten war crimes. The president tweeted that there were 52 sites "very high level and important to Iran". Targeting cultural sites is considered a war crime.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper have made statements to reassure the international community that America will not be committing any crimes. Both of them clarified that the military would behave "inside the system" and in accordance with "the laws of armed conflict". It is clear that those surrounding the president know that what he is suggesting is illegal and immoral.
It is also clear that the President has no intention of backing down. Trump told reporters Sunday evening that if Iran is "allowed to kill our people... to torture and maim our people," then they can't expect us not to "touch their cultural sites".
To be clear, the targeting of significant cultural sites does go against the 1954 Hague Convention. It also goes against the Department of Defense Law of War manual. In fact, this is such an accepted and important rule of war that the Pentagon distributes playing cards with significant cultural sites in Afghanistan printed on them to remind troops in the area to treat them with respect.
