United States and Isreal Strike Iran, War in the Middle East

On February 28th, the United States and Israel launched missile strikes against Iran in a culmination of sustained tension in the past year. The first strikes killed Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. President Donald Trump greenlit the attacks after failed nuclear weapon negotiation. The strikes are a continuation of a line of conflict between the United States/Israel and Iran, particularly concerning overreach in power, nuclear weapons, and human rights violations.  

Since the conflict began, thousands of people in Iran and surrounding countries have died, including seven US military personnel. An elementary school in Iran was bombed, likely by US forces, and at least 165 people died, most of them children. The US/Israel alliance is targeting major cities in Iran, particularly the capital Tehran. In response, Iran has counterstruck several US bases in surrounding countries. 

With the death of the Iranian supreme leader on the first day of attacks, the country needed to appoint a new head of state. On March 9th, Iranian officials announced Mojtaba Khamenei would succeed his father as supreme leader. Khamenei is rumored to be even stricter on matters of theocracy and government oversight than his father. Although the initial missile strikes managed to leave Iran’s nuclear sites in ruins, Iran still holds vast reserves of Uranium and access to the resources needed to create nuclear weapons. 

Iran has begun targeting oil production sites across the Middle East, sending oil prices skyrocketing. The sudden increase in gas prices has drawn American attention to the conflict overseas. The US has ordered all non-essential personnel to leave nine countries in the region: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. 

Over half a million people have been displaced in Lebanon, Israel’s northern neighbor, throughout the course of fighting between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Iran-backed paramilitary group. The war is reportedly including Russia and China in the conflict, with worries about the possibility of another Cold War if another world power were to back Iran. So far, Iran’s neighbors have criticized the reckless attack plan, but have not condemned the war against Israel. At the time of writing, nearly two thousand people have died, with over half of those being Iranian citizens.

Locally, there is concern over the proximity of the Barksdale Airport Base, however, there has been no notice from local authorities of potential threat. Members of the Shreveport-Bossier community should remain confident in their safety, until told differently.