On January 3rd, the U.S. launched multiple ballistic missiles attacking the top military general of Iran, Qasem Soleimani. Many questioned the necessity of doing this in fear of starting another major conflict in an already unstable region. The general was killed, which caused a major uproar by the Iranian citizens and other top government officials in Iran. In the U.S., people were split about the incident. Some were upset, but others thought it was completely necessary. “I agree with the killing of Soleimani because he was a cruel ruler and it is good that a man like him is out of the picture,” said Sophomore Jagar Bisharat.

Previous U.S. presidents discussed taking out Soleimani, but decided against it due to the backlash and consequences that could arise. Now that President Trump has launched the attack, many fear that the U.S. may be heading into another war in the Middle East, or even worse, a potential World War.  President Trump has made many announcements declaring that he is prepared to defend the U.S. if Iran decides to send an attack. Trump tweeted, “Should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly and fully strike back, and perhaps in a disproportionate manner.” 

On January 7th, Iran fired back on the U.S., attacking military housing for U.S. troops, however, there were no casualties or damage due to air defense systems preventing the attack from doing any real damage. Iran has stated that they are going to defend themselves from any attacks, but neither country is looking to escalate the situation. “The situation is very complex so we will have to wait and see what happens next. I think that the U.S. is prepared for more action, but I don’t think a war is ever a good idea,” said Sophomore Lucas Cowling. The future is unclear, but there is no doubt that tensions are rising, leaving many on edge.