By Kareem Gomersall, Y11
There has been a lot of talk recently about an American-Iranian military conflict. So much so, that people on social media have been talking about a “World War 3.” But how likely is a war between the US and Iran?
After an American airstrike on Iranian military official, Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian government vowed revenge, leading President Donald Trump to announce a strike on 52 Iranian cultural strikes – a statement that has been retracted due to international condemnation. On the 8th of January, Iran launched a retaliatory strike on an American military base in Iraq, leading everyone to think that armed conflict was inevitable.
Four days later, however, war seems unlikely. Iran used the strike as an opportunity to claim vengeance over their assassinated general, by striking a base on high alert in order to cause minimal damage. The United States also appears to be backing down.
So, war seems to have been avoided, but this episode serves as an ominous reminder that even in a modern world with numerous International organisations in place to prevent the outbreak of war, it can happen at any moment and that we must work to ensure that it doesn’t.
