An American and Israeli combined force engaged in a precise bombing operation on several cities in Iran on Feb. 28, in an operation code named Epic Fury. This Resulted in several civilian and military casualties, including Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to an official statement from the White House, these actions were necessary to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat Iran posed and the White House included other justifications including stating that Iran is the world’s number one sponsor of terrorist organizations.
Soon after the strikes, Iran responded with their own strikes on several Persian Gulf states.
According to usatoday.com, “Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain have been targets of Iranian missiles or drone strikes. intercepting hundreds of attacks over the past several days. So have Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.” Some reports state that Turkey had also been targeted as well.
Iran didn’t just attack neighboring counties however, they also struck at the world economically, by heavily restricting trade through the Strait of Hormuz. The strait accounts for about 25% of the world’s maritime oil exports. Because of this, gas across the United States and Europe have seen a large jump in price.
In Idaho, according to gasprices.aaa.com, gas now costs about $4.27 per gallon, compared to $3.39 per gallon at this time last year. The national average is a bit lower at $4.08 this year and $3.24 last year.
President Donald Trump has stated that peace negotiation is under way. According to the BBC, a ceasefire agreement has been reached, it will last for two week giving the US and Iran time to negotiate terms for a full peace treaty. Along with the ceasefire Iran also agreed to loosen restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.
Although fighting has stopped for now, but damage has still been done. There is not an exact number but, the death toll is known to be in thousands and will continue rising if another agreement isn’t made after the current ceasefire expires. Many of the casualties are civilians, which underscores the tragic human cost of this conflict.
The ongoing conflict in Iran is very complex, with many interpretations of its events shaped by the people’s life experiences. And with the ceasefire and ongoing negotiations, there is still hope for this conflict to be resolved quickly.
