Tehran, Iran —(Map)
Ten days after the US and Israel attacked Iran, the conflict has grown and spread. Hundreds of people have died, and the bombing is as heavy as ever. Nations from Europe to Asia have found themselves caught up in the conflict.
The US and Israel have continued to pound Iran with heavy daily attacks. The two countries have struck more than four thousand different targets. The US military says it spent $5.6 billion on weapons in just the first two days of the attack.
This weekend, the attacks turned to Iran’s oil fields and oil storage areas, triggering blazes and thick, toxic smoke near Iran’s capital, Tehran.
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Ten days after the US and Israel attacked Iran, the conflict has grown and spread. This weekend, the attacks turned to Iran’s oil fields and oil storage areas, triggering blazes and thick, toxic smoke near Iran’s capital, Tehran. Above, an oil storage area near Tehran burning on Saturday.
Impacts of the War
Over 1,300 Iranians have been killed. As many as 10,000 buildings, including homes, schools, and health clinics have been damaged. Israel has lost two soldiers. Seven members of American military forces have been killed.
After Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed, the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel. Israel has been striking targets in Lebanon since then, and over 480 people there have been killed.
Iran has targeted at least nine countries* in the Middle East with drones or missiles. Last week an Iranian drone hit a British airbase on Cyprus. NATO says it has intercepted Iranian missiles over Turkey twice.
(Source: Tasnim News Agency [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
The effects of the war are being felt around the world. In Europe, many countries don’t want to become part of the war, but find that they are involved because their countries have US military bases.
Spain’s leader, Pedro Sánchez, said that Spain wouldn’t support the war, which he views as illegal. France’s president Emmanuel Macron also considers the war illegal, but he says he’s sending warships to areas around Iran to help protect French allies.
Ukraine worries that the Iran war will mean less outside military support for its fight against Russia.
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The effects of the war are being felt around the world. Last week an Iranian drone hit a British airbase on Cyprus. Partly in response to this, France’s president Emmanuel Macron says he’s sending warships like the one seen above to areas around Iran to help protect French allies.
The US effort to take out Iran’s Navy has affected countries in Asia. Last week, a US submarine sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, just after the ship had taken part in military practices with India. Since then, India and Sri Lanka have taken control of two other Iranian warships, putting these countries in an awkward position between the US and Iran.
One reason for the focus on Iran’s navy is that Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz. Twenty percent of the world’s oil passes through this narrow waterway.
Since the war began, oil and gas prices have risen sharply. In just one week, the US price of gasoline (petrol) has increased 16%. Some countries are limiting the sale of oil and gas so they don’t run out. Because gas and oil are so important for transportation, the prices of most other products are also expected to increase.
(Source: Original image: NASA/MODIS/TERRA [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)
It’s not clear how the US thinks the war might end. Recently, Mr Trump said he would only accept Iran’s complete surrender. But Iran shows no signs of giving up.
Iran has named Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as its new leader. One US goal for the war was to change the government of Iran. But Mr. Khamenei is expected to run things very much like his father did.
US President Donald Trump has suggested that the war could end “soon”, but he also hasn’t ruled out sending soldiers into Iran. One reason the US might consider this is because Iran is believed to have collected dangerous nuclear material. It would be a serious problem if this material falls into the wrong hands.
Did You Know…?
Mr. Trump’s decision to attack Iran isn’t very popular in the US. In a recent poll only 36% approved of how Mr. Trump is handling Iran. Last week the US House and Senate each held a vote that might have limited Mr. Trump’s future actions in Iran. But Republican majorities in each house were large enough to keep the votes from passing.
* The countries target by Iranian attacks include: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
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