Iran continues to retaliate against US strikes

Iran and United States tensions continue to rise as earlier this week. The attacks ended a period of relative calm

By : Mushabir Nawaz Maken

Iran and United States tensions continue to rise as earlier this week. The attacks ended a period of relative calm and have once again brought the two countries face to face again.

The United States said it’s strikes targeted Iranian military and Revolutionary

Guard positions. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones on US

positions and it’s allies in the region. Iranian forces have also carried several attacks in the Gulf, endangering the region itself and creating a possible chance of increasing the conflict to other countries.

The US declared that the latest strikes carried out against Iran were defensive

actions. US Central Command said American forces attacked Iranian military positions after Iran targeted commercial shipping and US forces in the region.

They also claim that by launching these strikes on IRAN, they are protecting

American personnel in the region and keeping the shipping routes open.

On the other hand, Iran says that it is only retaliating against US strikes and has warned that if the US refuses to back down and continues to strike on

Iran, their response will become stronger. Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf said Iran’s future response would be “ faster, heavier, and more painful.” Tehran has also claimed attacks against US military assets, however some of the claims are denied by the US or have not been verified independently.

The situation has partially become more severe around the area of Strait of Hormuz (one of the world’s most important routes for oil shipments). Both US and Iran have carried out military actions involving ships in and around the waterway. It can be said that prolonged disruptions could affect the oil supplies around the world and raise energy prices.

The latest fighting has also raised concerns about civilian casualties. The usage of missiles and drones are endangering human life across the region.

Reuters reported that Iranian media said at least 13 Iranian military personnel had been killed by US strikes during the recent rounds of attacks, while other reports have described civilian deaths and damages.

Despite the war, there is still an international concern that the conflict can affect the other region as well. Both sides (US and Iran) continue to issue

warnings against further attacks but neither one is ready to back down.

However, Iran has warned that further US strikes will lead to a stronger response.

The continuing exchange of strikes and attacks has created a dangerous situation , not only for Iran and US , but for the whole world as the Strait of Hurmuz under pressure , the conflict could have consequences beyond the battlefield.

Several innocent lives have been taken, world oil prices have been reported continuously increasing, the whole region is in danger and yet the question

remains: How far will Iran and the United States go before this conflict turns into a wider war?