Following the missile strikes aimed at American bases in Iraq by Iran, in retaliation for the drone strike death of Iranian commander Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, resulted in zero American or Iraqi casualties, both the U.S and Iran have announced that no further attacks are to be expected.
Shortly after the missile strike on the American-occupied Iraqi bases, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated on Twitter that “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression,” and that “Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense…”
During a speech Wednesday morning, Trump said that in response to the attacks, further economic sanctions would be imposed on Iran but he assured that no military action will take place, saying that “The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.”
However, tensions still remain after this apparent cease-fire. On Thursday morning, in an effort to keep Trump’s military power in check in order to avoid further conflict, the House led a vote to require the president to receive congressional approval before engaging in any further escalation with Iran. The vote was approved by 224 to 194 in the Democrat-led House.
Republican members of Congress were soured by the measure, with some of them characterizing the restriction on Trump’s military strength as “dangerous” and “unpatriotic.”
“…The introduction of this resolution,” said Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), “…sows doubt about America’s [military] resolve and makes war more likely.”
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However, not all Republicans are entirely pleased with the President’s authorized assasination of Suleimani, as a classified briefing presented on Wednesday by officials from the Trump administration left a few members of the GOP upset at the fact that lawmakers weren’t involved in the decision-making process in addition to the abrupt, out-of-the-blue nature of the drone strike.
“Drive-by notification or after-the-fact, lame briefings like the one we just received aren’t adequate,” said Utah Senator Mike Lee, who appeared angry after leaving the briefing.
With the threat of all-out military conflict on the horizon, the question of “What now?” remains on the minds of many. A report saying that the Ukrainian plane crash on Wednesday was caused by an Iranian missile—with American and allied intelligence officials stating that the attack was most likely an accident, which suggests that the incident was a tragic by-product of the U.S.-Iran conflict—along with concerns about Iran potentially waging a cyber attack, still have many U.S. officials and their foreign allies on edge.
Quinton Bradley
Contributing Writer
Quinton Bradley is an Ohio-based writer. He runs a blog called Hammers and Papyrus and can be followed on Twitter @QBAbstract.