USA – Iran Issues And Possibility Of War (Gulf Crisis) – Free PDF Download

GULF CRISIS

• The 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis is an ongoing escalation of military tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States in the Persian Gulf region.
• The United States began a build up of its military presence in the region.This followed a rise in political tensions between the two countries during the Trump administration, which included the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA, the imposition of new sanctions against Iran, and the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

BACKGROUND

• Behind the latest tensions is the fact that Iran and the US have increasingly accused each other of aggressive behaviour.
• The US says recent activity by Iranian and Iranianbacked forces is destabilising the region and threatening US interests, while Iran says the US is trying to use military force and economic pressure to bring down its government.
• The crisis really began to escalate in May when four oil tankers were were hit by blasts in the Gulf of Oman. Iran denied US accusations its forces had planted mines on the vessels.

CRISIS

• What is going on involves some of the Gulf region’s most powerful countries, as well as the world’s most powerful military – that of the US.
• Beyond that, the tensions threaten the use of the Strait of Hormuz. Almost a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the narrow strait, which lies off the south coast of Iran.
• If international shipping is hampered or even blocked there, the economic effects will be felt around the globe. They could include a sharp increase in oil prices.And if the crisis erupts into a war, the consequences will be devastating.

 NUCLEAR DEAL

NUCLEAR DEAL

• The tensions in the Gulf can be traced to the resurgence of another crisis – that over Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran has always denied this, asserting that its programme was solely peaceful.
• An agreement was reached in 2015, whereby Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. But last year, US Donald Trump pulled out of the deal, saying it was flawed.
• Iran has been outraged by the US move, accusing it of violating the agreement. It has ceased abiding by several key nuclear commitments.

SAUDI ARAMCO ATTACK

• On 14 September, the 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack took place – a coordinated Cruise missile and drone attack that targeted the state-owned Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia.
• The Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility, tying it to events surrounding the Saudi Arabian intervention in the Yemeni Civil War.
• However, claims made by some United States officials that the attacks originated in Iran, despite Iran’s denial, have strained the current Persian Gulf crisis.

 FINAL ASSAULT

• On 29 December, U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian backed Shiite militia in Iraq and Syria killing 25 militants and injuring at least 55 others.
• The U.S. Department of Defense said the operation was in retaliation for repeated attacks on Iraqi military bases hosting Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces, particularly 27 December 2019 attack on a Kirkuk airbase that left an American civilian contractor dead and 4 US soldiers wounded.
• On 31 December, Iran-backed militiamen stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, forcing American diplomats to evacuate to safe rooms. The militia later withdrew.

FINAL ASSAULT

• A major flashpoint in the crisis occurred on 3 January 2020, when President Donald Trump approved the targeted killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also killed in the drone attack.
• On 4 January, Donald Trump tweeted a warning against Iran of attacking Americans or the US assets. He stated that the US is “targeting” 52 Iranian sites and will strike “very fast and very hard”.
• On 4 January, Britain sent two warships,to the Persian Gulf to protect their ships and citizens. The Royal Navy through the Strait of Hormuz.

 WORLD WAR 3?

• On 4 January, thousands of American people in 70 cities across the country protest against a new war in the Middle East.
• As a funeral for Soleimani and al-Muhandis was ongoing in Baghdad, several rockets hit near the US embassy in Baghdad and the Balad Air Base without any casualties.
• On 5 January, the Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from the country.

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