Trump Calls Off Strike Against Iran — Here’s the Bigger Picture
President Trump called off a retaliatory strike against Iran after Iran shot down a highly sophisticated American drone flying over the Strait of Hormuz.
The president revealed that three strikes were planned against targets in Iran but before giving the U.S. military the go-ahead, the president asked the general in charge how many Iranians would be killed as a result of the strikes.
After hearing that 150 would be killed, the president decided that such a price would be too high to pay and disproportional to the destruction of an unmanned drone.
The president reiterated that not only did the U.S. currently impose crippling sanctions on Iran, but that more were coming – and the military option was still on the table for the future.
Most foreign policy experts agreed with the president, including on both sides of the political divide.
“Trump is still imposing crippling sanctions on Iran,” Michael Doran, a former White House official in the George W. Bush administration, said. “The big fight, the strategic fight, is about keeping those sanctions in place until we win on the nuclear question. Tit-for-tat over a drone is minor by comparison.”
The president emphasized that the U.S.’ problems with Iran are not about keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, as the U.S. is the largest producer of oil in the world. Closing the Strait would harm China the most, as well as Japan and Indonesia.
Rather, the entire issue is about Iran not acquiring nuclear weapons – a red line for Trump.
Meanwhile, Clarion will continue to keep you informed and give you the bigger picture about the developments in the Middle East as they unfold.
Below is an infographic that lets you quickly see the extent and magnitude of Iranian provocations against the U.S. and our allies the last month.
IRANIAN PROVOCATION SINCE MAY 2019
PERSIAN GULF AND SURROUNDING AREA
May 12, 2019 – Explosions in the United Emirates Port of Fujairah burn 7-10 oil tankers
June 13, 2019 – Two oil tankers struck in Gulf of Oman. Iran attempts but fails to shoot down American drone surveiling the attack. U.S. later presents detailed evidence Iran was involved, including fingerprints.
June 14, 2019 – U.S. releases video showing Iranian special forces removing unexploded mine from damaged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
June 20, 2019 – Iran shoots down highly sophisticated American drone over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump back off attack calling it an accident.
SAUDI ARABIA
May 14, 2019 – Drone sent by Houthis, Iranian proxy militia in Yemen, bombs two pumping stations in Saudi Arabia on strategic oil pipeline in Dawadmi and Afeef.
May 22, 2019 – Drone launched by Houthi fighters strikes Saudi arms depot in Narjran Domestic Airport.
June 7, 2019 – Two car bombs target the Saudi city of Jeddah (home of the U.S. consulate) causing injuries.
June 11, 2019 – Saudi Arabia’s air defense forces intercept two drones launched by Houthis targeting Khamis-Mushait.
June 12, 2019 – Cruise missile hits Abha International Airport outside of the Saudi city of Khmais-Mushait injuring 26, including three women and two children in arrivals terminal.
June 17, 2019 – Saudi forces intercept two explosives-laden drones – one targeting a civilian area in Saudi city of Abha and the other in Yemeni airspace as it approached the kingdom.
June 19, 2019 – The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen says missile fired by Houthis landed near a desalination plant near Saudi city of Jizan. Houthis say it was a cruise missile aimed at power plant in Jizan.
YEMEN
June 6, 2019 – U.S. drone shot down by Houthis in the Yemeni western coast of Al Hudaydah.
June 17, 2019 – Iranian experts, along with Houthi militants, Killed in failed attempt to launch a ballistic missile outside of Yemeni capital of Sana’a at the Al-Daylamit air base.
June 19, 2019 – Drone sent from Yemen to Saudi Arabia intercepted by Saudi air defenses over Yemen’s Hajjah province.
RELATED STORIES:
A New Strategy Toward Tehran: Exploit Iran’s Fear
Five Days, Four Attacks on U.S.-Related Targets in Iraq
Will Iran’s Cat-and-Mouse Strategy Backfire?
How Far Will Iran Go to Poke the American Bear in the Gulf
Trump’s Sanctions on Iran, Hezbollah Causing Geo-Political Shifts
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!