Qasem Soleimani's death became the trigger for the further escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran, say international observers. According to them, although neither side wants to go to war, the risk of miscalculation and falling into the trap of an all-out armed conflict is high.
Addressing the nation on 8 January after the Iranian strike on the Iraqi military bases housing US troops, President Donald Trump announced that no American personnel were hurt, while the facilities sustained minimum damage. The White House is planning to impose new sanctions against Iran in the aftermath of the bombardment.
According to Trump, Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was earlier killed in a US targeted drone strike, had allegedly planned attacks on American targets for 4 January which prompted the Pentagon to take proactive measures.
On 7 January, Tehran conducted a ballistic missile attack on US positions in Iraq in the wake of Washington's extraterritorial assassination of Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) major general and Quds Force chief.
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The further escalation could have been prevented if the Trump administration had not killed the high-ranking Iranian military chief in the first place, according to Reza Nasri, an international lawyer, political analyst, and Iran researcher.
“By killing a high-ranked military dignitary of a foreign state, not only has Donald…
