Daily Times

Iran and the US have a long and tense atmosphere gripped together. With passing time, there is a progressive increase in tensions between the two. The United States is pushing Iran to limit its nuclear program, whereas, Iran has its own goal of responding to the notion, saying it will continue its nuclear program. It claimed to not limit it in any way rather, increase the development instead. Iran seeks to become a nuclear power and it is possible because Iran possesses the capability. Iran’s actions are different from both Pakistan and India, who did not overwhelm the global community with a silent strategy before becoming a nuclear force, they directly tested it.

The United States (US) could not do anything under such circumstances. If Pakistan or India declared their potential beforehand, like Iran, the US would have done the same with them. If Iran continued to develop their nuclear program in silence and performed tests like India and Pakistan, the US would not have intervened in their case. However, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program 2015 with the help of the US. Whether Iran acted on this agreement or not, US President Donald Trump canceled the deal with Iran in its entirety. The reasons for the cancellation of this agreement are not clear.

The tensions between Iran and the US are at their peak in current day. Both countries are exchanging strong and sharp statements, and Trump stated that the US will impose further sanctions on Iran. This means that the pressure on Iran will carry, preventing Iran from expanding their program to develop nuclear weapons.

It seems as if Iran’s nuclear power will become a grave problem for the international community. This could especially influence the ongoing conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. During the said conflict, American Foreign Minister, Michael R. Pompeo, met Saudi Arabia’s ruler, Shah Salman bin Abdul Aziz, regarding the growing tension between the US and Iran and discussed strategic relations with the region. The US organized this meeting to cause pressure on Iran and threaten them.

Tensions rose significantly when a statement launched on June 20, 2019 said that a US drone strike violated Iran’s airspace boundaries. Both Iran and the US acknowledged that Iran said it had shot down drones in its borders because they had entered Iran’s territory for the purpose of spying. The United States also acknowledged that Iran has shot down drones near its headquarters in Hormozgan province, which has been carrying out US RQ- 4 Global Hawk Detective Drone attacks. Iran claims that the US drone spy was spying in the limits of Iran, but the United States says this drone was dropped into international air strikes.

It is said that when Iran took down a US drone, the US military was ordered to teach a lesson to Iran. According to the TV channel ‘NBC’, the US military was ready to respond to Iran after the US drone strikes. According to President Trump, he changed his mind within ten minutes. Had Trump not changed his intentions, Iran and the US would be in a state of war. In response to the US attacks Iran did not remain silent and urged to “fire US interests in the Middle East as soon as it is shot on Iran”.

The United States said that if Iran gave up their nuclear weapons, they would be our ‘best friends’ and ‘we will make them rich’. Following this statement, Trump immediately contacted Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue of Iran with the crown prince. The United States also called on the UN Security Council to arrange a meeting to consider Iran’s problem. In this meeting, it was said that Iran and the US should reduce stress by negotiating and taking steps to eliminate tensions in the region. The meeting condemned the recent attacks on oil tankers, which threatened the world’s energy supply as well as global peace. The United States accused Iran for the attacks on oil tankers in the region.

The real concern for us is that Pakistan may have an impact on the Iranian-American conflict. This is because Pakistan is one of the neighboring countries of Iran. Due to their alliance, Pakistan would not support any US attack on Iran, and on the other hand, it will also not take any risks against the United States.

However, Pakistan is a part of an alliance formed against Yemen. Recently, Pakistan improved its relations with Qatar as well. The Head of Qatar visited Pakistan and agreed to provide financial aid to the nation. This is important because Qatar also passed a statement on Iranian-American stress.

Israel is vehemently against Iran and supports the United States. It was the first country to declare themselves against Iran and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would stand with America in this regard. He also appealed to the international community to support the United States during this conflict.

Pakistan stands at a point where it can neither support Iran openly nor speak against Iran. In the Afghanistan war, Pakistan suffered various financial and human losses. It also made clear to them that the US is a friend of Pakistan but can never be trusted. In the current situation, Pakistan must comply with the policy of being self-sufficient in a very careful manner in Iran’s dispute with the US. However, if America adopts the same policy in Iran as the one in Afghanistan, it would be difficult for Pakistan to remain neutral. The United States will try to gather Pakistan’s support.

However, there is sympathy for Iran in Afghanistan. A large portion of individuals in Afghanistan are sympathetic to Iranian views and do not want the US to treat them the way they treated the Afghans. America will show its clear impact in Afghanistan during the war in Iran. There will be more barriers to fulfilling the wishes of the Americans than in Afghanistan. The United States should know that Iran is internally stable, and the Iranian people will react to the actions of the US strongly and with great intensity. Additionally, Iran is not alone in this war; they have allies such as Pakistan and Russia because the latter has always opposed the US. As soon as the current tension began, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation advised the United States to be careful about the use of power against Iran as it would be destructive.

Hossein Salami, Commander-in-chief of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, condemned the US’ intense words, stating ‘Our borders are like us as a red line, and whatever enemy will try to cross it will be destroyed’. His statement is reflective of Iran’s goals and enthusiasm. Thus, the US will not go beyond threatening Iran. In the case of war with Iran, there will be more damage than in Afghanistan.

The situation in Afghanistan was quite different, although the United States did not succeed there. Conversely, there is unity in Iran, and the people are extremely passionate in their dislike for the United States. Thus, in such a situation, America will never make the mistake of trying to lure the locals. If this happens, the United States would have made Iran the battlefield, facing a troublesome situation. The current era is one nuclear power, and everyone knows that a nuclear war is not in any country’s interest.

The writer has graduated in Mass Communication from Punjab University. He has worked with Daily Jang and Aaj News TV and is currently working as an Administrator in Federal Board of Revenue, Islamabad.