With the long-standing tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the current situation between both the countries seems to have crossed a certain threshold and has gone beyond diplomatic control.
It all began on the 8th of May 2018, when the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. However, it was not until the 29th of December 2019 that the United States ordered a precision defensive air strike on Iran backed Iraqi militant forces with the intention of sending a message to the Iran-backed militia owing to the attack that happened on 27th of December. In retaliation to this, the Iraqi protestors' outrageously decided to take to the streets and set the US Embassy in Baghdad on fire. Even in the face of compromising the security of hundreds of American diplomats the Iraqi armed forces chose to remain.
On the 2nd of January 2020, the US forces executed another air strike and this time, it was the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and other prominent Iranians who were targeted and killed at Baghdad International Airport, amongst claims that it was the General who had planned and executed the attack on the US Embassy. This incident in addition to Iran stating that they vow for revenge, prompted speculations of war and other conspiracies amongst several from the international community. When asked as to how the States planned on moving forward with the crisis, President Donald Trump stated that the US never intended to start a war, it wanted to stop one and if Iran chose otherwise, it will have to face attacks on most of Iran’s prominent sites.
The latest update is that the Iranians have officially withdrawn their inclusion from the Iran nuclear deal, and hereby intend to not comply to any sanctions applied by the United States, and have retaliated by launching ballistic missiles on two Iraqi bases, which housed American troops, to which the POTUS stated that there were no American lives lost, and that "all is well",, and prompt message was tweeted by the Iranian Supreme Leader, stating "we slapped them on the face", but that "military action is not enough".
So far, both parties seem to have backed off from a direct conflict, but it's only time that can tell us, as to whether the United States would use this attack as a reason to retaliate again, or if it would decide to step away from a direct conflict.
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