Iran’s top general, Qasem Soleimani was killed on Friday (1/3/20), after being targeted by a US military Drone attack ordered directly by the President of USA, Donald Trump. A heated conflict occurred between the United States and Iran, but at this time the tension has begun to subside, which reduces the chances of World War III.
Soleimani’s death sparked outrage from Iran and they planned revenge. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) proved this by launching dozens of ballistic missiles to US air bases in Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday (7/1/20). However, the attack did not cause any casualties.
Instead of retaliating to this attack, Donald Trump chose to withdraw and not expand the conflict as he feared the onset of World War III. This notion was given by Trump in his speech broadcast on television from the White House on Thursday (9/1/20). An International Relations lecturer of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Prof. Dr. Bambang Cipto, M.A. judged that Trump decided to hold back because of his own political interests.
“In all honesty, Trump would not like to go to war. The reason behind the US military operation carried out against General Soleimani was because Trump wanted to show that his influence was very strong. He hoped that by carrying out the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, his political rating would rise even stronger. In 2020, there will be a US Presidential election, so he needs justification and strong support from his base. This is actually a conflict within the US itself, to show Trump’s image as a strong presidential candidate,” Bambang said when interviewed in his office on Saturday (11/1).
Trump reportedly will only give economic sanctions to Iran, something that is often given by the US to Iran. “The purpose of imposing economic sanctions is to put pressure on Iran. This means that Europe can not conduct business with Iran, because they must use the dollar. 80 percent of global transactions use US dollars. This makes it difficult for other countries to conduct transactions with Iran if the sanctions are given, “added the Professor of Politics in International Relations.
Based on these facts, World War III is unlikely to happen. According to Bambang Cipto, retaliatory attacks by Iran were only a form of vengeance for a moment and would not be widespread. “I see no potential for widespread invasion or the occurrence of war. Everyone today thinks of business and war will only cause huge losses. Iran also does not have as much power as the United States, so any retaliatory attempt is intended only as proof that they will do what they say and show that they are one of the more powerful countries in the Middle East,” he concluded. (Hbb)
