Over the course of his presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump has enacted several measures that have greatly escalated tensions with Iran and sparked concern over a potential war between the two countries. The actions undertaken by Trump have sought to cripple Iran’s economy, weaken the country diplomatically, and undermine the legitimacy of the Iranian administration. In doing so, Trump has made America’s already hardline stance against Iran more extreme, much to the concern of American lawmakers and other international actors. The continued clashes between President Trump and the Iranian regime have thus put America and Iran on a dangerous path towards war.
Trump’s series of hardline measures first began in May 2018, when the President announced that the U.S. would exit the Iran Nuclear Deal, (also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). The deal was initially agreed upon by the U.S., the UK, France, Russia, China, Germany, and the European Union in 2015. It was intended to impose restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and relax some sanctions imposed on the Iranian economy. When Trump rescinded America’s agreement to the deal, he claimed that “If we do nothing…in just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons.” According to Trump, the agreement gave too many upfront benefits to the regime with little incentive for change.
After backing out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, the U.S. continued to impose harsh sanctions on Iran throughout 2018 due to Iran’s continued proxy wars and support for the President of Syria. These actions caused Iran’s economy to plunge into a deep recession. At the time, Trump claimed that America’s goal was to change the behaviour of Iran’s lawmakers for the betterment of the Iranian people. However, the sanctions and resultant collapse of Iran’s economy have made life very difficult for Iranians, as many jobs have been lost and citizens struggle to obtain imported food and medication.
To add further fuel to the fire, almost a year after the Nuclear Deal withdrawal, the U.S. designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps an official terrorist organization. This was the first time the U.S. had ever assigned such a designation to a country’s official military branch, which delegitimized Iran’s army and its associations with proxy wars in the Middle East.
Shortly thereafter, on May 14, 2019, tensions between Iran and the U.S. increased significantly. The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, boasted of the U.S.’s military might while claiming that they had no intention of engaging in conflict with Iran. However, Pompeo also stated that if Iran were to attack American interests, the U.S. would respond accordingly.
It did not take long for the U.S. to put their words into action. A few days after the press-conference, tensions further escalated; the U.S. military withdrew several hundred diplomatic personnel from Iraq, alleging heightened security threats from Iran nearby. A day later, internal reports surfaced, claiming that Trump had stated that he did not want to go to war with Iran. Whether or not this was the case, one thing was certain: an even bigger rift between Iran and the U.S. was in the midst of being formed.
The rift further escalated following increased military action from the U.S. on May 24. News leaked from the Pentagon that Iran was responsible for attacks on a Saudi oil pipeline, a diplomatic compound in Baghdad, an attack on the American consulate in Basra, and other oil tank attacks in the Middle East. In response, the U.S announced that it would deploy 1,500 troops to the Middle East for security measures. The military action came despite the fact that the Houthi rebels in Yemen had already claimed responsibility for the Saudi pipeline attack.
Despite the U.S’s actions and claims, Trump continued to insist that he did not intend to alter the behaviour of the Iranian regime but simply wanted to prevent them from obtaining nuclear weapons. However, these statements contradicted his past stance on the Iranian regime, as he has previously conveyed the necessity of altering their foreign policy.
Amidst Trump’s contradictory remarks, local actors have expressed deep concern over the rising tensions with Iran. Several members of the U.S.’s Democratic Party believe that there is no reason as of now to escalate tensions with Iran and claim that President Trump is misusing government intelligence to justify his confrontations with the regime.
Several foreign countries have also shown concern over these developments. Oman’s minister of Foreign Affairs tweeted that any confrontation between Iran and America would be harmful
By failing to develop a comprehensive, strategic, or consistent plan to engage with Iran, the U.S. has not only crippled the Middle Eastern country but also failed to bring the regime’s lawmakers to the negotiating table. For all of his grandstanding, the President has failed to create any incentive for Iran’s regime to negotiate with the U.S. In addition, it appears that while the President himself may not intend for war with Iran, his aides and fellow Republican Party members intend to engage in conflict with the country, thus exposing a divisive split in American politics. The question going forward will be whether the pro-war or anti-war supporters within the U.S. administration will win out. In the end, with rising tensions and no apparent opportunity for negotiations, President Trump has most certainly placed the U.S. on a dangerous path to war with Iran.
By Anonymous
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
