Earlier this week, the top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a precision drone strike in Iraq initiated by the President of the United States. The President said via a televised announcement that Solemani was plotting “imminent and sinister attacks” on American Diplomats and military personnel, which is why he went forth with the attack. The attack happened on Friday, December 27th, 2019. 

In response to the death of their beloved leader, the Iranian government vowed retaliation against the United States, raising their country’s red flags, symbolizing unjustly spilled blood on behalf of the U.S. After this, Trump warned via Twitter that if Iran targeted, “any Americans or American assets,” he would sanction for specific military strikes against Iranian cultural sites, amounting to the level of a war crime. According to CNN, Trump’s eagerness to destroy these cultural sites on Iranian soil is deemed a war crime based on the fact that in 2017, the United States Security Council condemned “the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage, including the destruction of religious sites and artifacts.” 

Within 24 hours of Soleimani’s death, Iran responded to the United States with its most direct assault on America since the seizure of the U.S Embassy in Tehran in 1979, firing more than a dozen missiles to a U.S military base stationed in Iraq. According to the Pentagon, they fired with the intention to kill all officers stationed at this base. 

As of publication, this is a developing story. Both parties are beginning to stand down from attacking, following the missile attacks on two Iraqi bases that had been hosting US troops. At the same time, Canadian evidence suggests that missiles shot by Iran have accidently shot down a Ukranian plane, which had crash landed and killed more than 176 people. Evidence shows that the plane had been shot down by an Iranian  “surface to air missile,” as said by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

Junior Natalie Taylor states her opinion on what some are referring to as “World War III”: “I don’t think [it] would happen, but I’m worried that the US will become further involved and continue attacks on Iran, even after Trump has said that he was holding fire.”