Many are crediting Donald Trump with the takedown of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, who is alleged to have orchestrated an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and may have been planning to attack another four embassies in the region.
Iran responded to the killing of Soleimani by launching a missile strike against bases hosting U.S. troops in the region, bringing the two countries to the brink of war. No U.S. military personnel were injured during the attack.
"We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war," Trump said a statement from his Mar-a-Logo resort Jan. 4, the day after the attack.
Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran's ambassador to the U.N., stated that the attack against Soleimani could potentially lead to war.
For Trump and other government officials, the ability to rid the U.S. of a potential terroristic threat proved too surreal to pass up. Soleimani was known by many as a violent leader who could cause different attacks to take place against American forces, but with him wiped out, a threat is also taken out as well.
Beverly A. Tsacoyianis, an expert on the Middle East and an assistant professor in the UofM history department, believes that there's a small chance that Iran would target states such as Hawaii or Alaska. She also said she does think that Iran will continue its airstrikes on U.S. military locations in the Middle East will continue.
"The U.S. government is, in fact, no stranger to drone strikes that contravene international law and erodes democratic institutions," Tsacoyianis said. "The Bush and Obama administrations used drones for targeted killings in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere.
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, was also killed in the strike by American drones.
"The strike on Soleimani, which Trump's administration completed without approval or even notice to the U.S. Congress reminds me of the Trump's administration decision to abandon American allies in northern Syria," Tsacoyianis said, referring to the Kurdish military troops that were left to fend for themselves against ISIS. "The Turkish government killed a top Kurdish military official and massacred many Kurdish officials who fought alongside U.S. troops against ISIS."
The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has vowed "harsh revenge," according to a statement published by his official website.
Khamenei has appointed Maj. Gen. Ismail Qaani as Soleimani's replacement, according to a statement from his office. Qaani and Soleimani worked in cohesion for years, and the former had been getting groomed as a potential successor.
"Trump has been looking for ways to start a war for his entire presidency," sophomore Matthew Gardner said. "First he was instigating conflict with North Korea that had us on the verge of nuclear war. Now he's turning his sights toward Iran and Middle Eastern theater."
