International worries that a war might break out between Iran and the U.S. have steadily increased since Iran pulled out of the nuclear deal.
The U.S. military discounted the confusion shown by a British general about such a threat.
Although President Donald Trump denied a report that the administration plans to send more than 100,000 troops to counter Iran if required, he proceeded to stir controversy by saying, “Would I do that? Absolutely.”
As tensions rise, Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Secretary, said his nation was concerned about the likelihood of accidental conflict “with an escalation that is unintended really on either side”.
Dr. Bessma Momani, a professor at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (GCI), said in an interview with CTV last week that even though neither party wants to initiate any sort of military conflict, knowing that Trump is the sort of man who wakes up in the morning, and immediately starts reacting on Twitter to the latest news, the chances of some hawkish group from either side being provoked and taking matters into their own hands is a possibility.
The general’s remark shed light on the international skepticism over the American military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq that was based on false intelligence.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have still not publicly backed up their assertion of an increased Iranian threat with any evidence.
The Iran nuclear deal was an agreement made between Iran and the permanent members of the UN security council, along with the European Union so Iran would redesign, convert, and reduce its nuclear facilities.
They would also have to accept the Additional Protocol in order to lift all nuclear-related economic sanctions, freeing up tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue.
In 2018, America withdrew from the deal, and exactly one year later, on May 8, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani presented Europe with an ultimatum: They will have 60 days to either follow the Trump administration out of the deal or resume oil trade with Iran to save the agreement, violating U.S. sanctions.
If Europe does not comply to the latter option, Iran will resume their high level uranium enrichment program. During the interview with Dr. Momani, she noted that the Iranian government clearly does not want to negotiate with the Trump administration at this point, so they must wait for a new administration to come into office.
