War between Iran and the United States - Article Example

War between Iran and the United s Introduction The United States of America and Iran will never be at peace with each other and this is mainly because of Irans nuclear program. Although the Iran government argues that its nuclear program is purposely designed to generate electricity, the United States believes that the program is purposely designed for making nuclear weapons that will be used to launch an attack on major states in America. For this reason, the United States will always be ready to go to war with Iran irrespective of whether their move is supported by other countries or not. Background of the conflict between United States and Iran Russell & Geoffrey (2009) state that Iran and the United states were once good allies and the United States supported Iran in opposing the Soviet Union.The relations between the two countries were stronger during the regime of Shar Qajar as the two countries worked in hand in hand. In some cases, Shar sought advice from the United States government on the best management practices. However, their diplomatic relations did not last for long as the nuclear programs became an issue of concern for the United States. The Iranian government did not change its stand and despite pressures from the United Kingdom and Germany to get rid of the nuclear program, they went ahead to implement the program. The United States accused Iran of financing terrorist activities around the world and this accusation led to more tension between the two countries. The conflict was worsened when the united states participate in funding Iraq to go into war with Iran. The United States used this war to protect their own national interest as the war would weaken the Iran military (Kelvin & leveret, 2008). The nuclear program has been an issue of contention between the two countries and the United States went ahead to push for economic sanctions on Iran in a bid to make it hard for them to trade in the global markets. In 2006, the United States government went ahead to accuse the Iranian banks that were operating in the united states of funding terrorist activities in the country. All Iranian banks and other financial institutions were banned from accessing financial systems in America. The United States went ahead to urge other countries to cut links with Iran because of the nuclear program other countries to cut links with Iran because of the nuclear program. The United States also cut links with countries that partnered with Iran to show their disapproval of the nuclear program (Henderson, 2011). The overthrow of Mossadegh (Operation Ajax) – 1953 According to Paul & Yvonne (2005) the Iranian coup of 1953 was one of the most successful coups of all times. The Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was removed from power through a coup that was planned by the criminal investigation agent. Donald Wilber who headed the coup had the desire to change the style of leadership and his main goal was to restore the good relations with the United States. Patrick (2003) outlines the coup was secretly planned by the Americans who wanted Donald Wilber to take up the leadership as he was an ally to the Americans. The Americans had hoped that the coup would help them a great deal and they would get to stop the nuclear program. However, Wilbers government only caused more troubles because Iranians that did not support the coup and countries that imported oil from Iran boycotted the oil. This greatly affected the Iranian economy and Wilber found it hard to run the state as oil was their major source of revenue (Suzanne, 2001). Wilber decided to go independent and not seek the help of the United States and the fear of the American government was that Wilber must join the Soviet Union that the United States had greatly opposed. The overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh is a clear indication that the United States has made efforts to ensure that the nuclear program was not carried into completion. For this reason, it went to an extending of supporting a coup with the hope that the new government will abandon this program and focus on economy development. Though the coup was not so successful, the United States has not given up in its efforts to convince Iran to abandon the nuclear programs. George bushs and Barack Obamas leaders have upheld the economic sanctions on Iran and the coming leadership will keep doing so until Iran heeds to the international pressure of stopping the nuclear program ( Henderson, 2011). American response or provocation? – supporting the Shah (1954 – 1979). Whitney (2005) outlines that after the Second World War, Britain and the United States pulled out from the Soviet Union and this was a major blow for the Iranian government as they were benefiting from the contribution the United States was making to the union. The Shah who was the Iranian prime minister was left with no choice but to approach the United States for assistance. During that time, the United States was the only country that had skills on nuclear plants. The United States sent a letter to the Soviet Union demanding them to withdraw from Iran. The troops were withdrawn and this made the association between Iran and United States to grow. Annabel (2006) outlines that the willingness of the United States to support Iran took the world by surprise. However what other countries did not understand is that the United States had an interest in Iran because of oil production. They made demands that for them to support Iran, the country should be willing to adopt American policies and apply them in their operations. Being desperate, the Shah headed to the demands of the United States and American policies were implemented in various arms of the Iranian government including the military. Suzanne (2001) refers to the United States as opportunists who can only offer support to a country if they benefiting from it. The united states also choose to support Iran with the intention of provoking Britain that had an impact on Iran. The United States believed that supporting Iran would reduce British influence in Iran and they would directly benefit from oil production. The Islamic revolution- 1979 According to Russell & Geoffrey (2009), Islamic revolution refers to the period when Shah and Pahlavi dynasty, who were supported by the United States, got overthrown and was replaced by the Islamic Republic. Shahs leadership was believed to be corrupt, brutal and oppressive. Around 1977, demonstrations against the shah began under the leadership of Ruhollah Khomeini. They demanded that Shah be removed from power since his leadership was characterized by years of dictatorship and oppression. However, the Soviet Union did not support the movement against Shah. With the increase in these religious-based movements, Shah eventually got detained in 1979. The Iranian government decided to invite back Khomeini and a national referendum was held and Khomeini was voted back into power. Meyer(2009), states that the revolution was a big surprise not only to the new Islamic republic but to the whole world. The change was very unusual and it lacked many customary causes of revolution.It was a non-violent revolution and marked the beginning of modern-day revolution although it was later characterized by a series of strikes. Shah got angered by Khomeinis actions and decided to publish an article that terming Khomeini as a mad British agent who wanted to give over Iran to Imperialist powers. Many Iranians came to believe that Khomeini was an anti-Shah hero and this is how Khomeini lost his fame. Rise of the mullahs Many people connected the rise of Mullahs to the power shift within the military and were believed to be the start of a fresh war between Islamabad and Kabul. His aim was to become a spiritual and political leader of Islamic religion. The name Mullah was given to him at a young age and this is how other leaders that came after him were referred to as the Mullahs. The increase of the Mullahs was characterized by endless leadership wrangles as people rebelled against the Mullahs. George & Eness (2003) outline that the increase of the Mullahs led to tension among Muslim leaders who felt that the presence of the Mullahs would interfere with religion. The mullahs also posed a threat to national security as they had much influence on the Iranian citizens. The Mullahs were popular for their unique way of tying their linen string round their heads and also for their efforts to revolutionizing Islam. Contemporary Iran under Ahmadinejad Ahmadinejad was elected as the sixth president of Iran in 2005 and before his election, he had promised to create a strong state that would be admired by the world. His main goal was to improve the lives of low class in society by increasing employment opportunities. His leadership was marked with gas rationing plans which was aimed at reducing fuel consumption in the country. He also introduced cuts in interest rates to both public and private banking facilities. This plan was intended to distribute the income among the poor and reduce the gap between rich and the poor people in the country. Strengthening future relations with the United States, Britain and the United Kingdom was one of his main promises he made to his voters before being elected to power. His made tremendous contribution to his people by making education affordable and improving the countrys infrastructures (Whitney, 2005). Ahmadinejads areas of concern included the population and family planning policy, protection of human rights and housing. Ahmadinejad encouraged the introduction of birth control methods in a bid to control the high growth rate of the countrys population. He was a strict leader who ensures that the law was followed to the letter. His Regime was characterized by a high number of detainees who were tortured and subjected to much mistreatment. Citizens freedom of expression and assembly was reported to be deteriorated under his leadership. His leadership also had a negative impact on the education sector as he ordered for resignation of many university professors and scientists. According to him this was a cultural revolution aimed at replacing the old with a younger generation. Ahmadinejad is known for supporting the Irans nuclear program and completely changed the state to a nuclear state. However, his argument is that the program is intended for peaceful purposes and use of nuclear weapons is against their religion. His goal of strengthening relations with United States, United Kingdom and Britain were not achieved (Paul & Yvonne, 2005). Americas invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan Following the terror attack on the World trade Centre in the United States, the United States government put up efforts to dismantle the Al-Qaida group that was believed to be behind the attack. President George Bush approached the Taliban requesting him to suspend the Al-Qaida group and hand over the leader of the attack Osama Bin Laden to the American authorities. The Taliban asked Osama Bin Laden to leave the country, but he was reluctant to give him over to the American authorities arguing that there was no evidence that Osama was directly involved in the September attack. The United States was agitated by the decision of the Taliban and this prompted them to go ahead and launch the enduring freedom operation. Meyer (2009) outlines that the decision by the United States to launch this operation was supported by other countries that needed to fight terrorism. During this operation, the United States with the help of the United Kingdom and other countries managed to remove the Taliban from power and they established military bases in different parts of the country. The invasion of the United States in Afghanistan forced the al-Qaida group to flee to the outcast of the country. Australasia and the United Kingdom fully supported the decision of the United States to invade Afghanistan and they sent some of their army troops to join the United States army. The United States army gained favor with the afghan military which also condemned acts of terrorism. The Afghan military helped the United States establish military bases in strategic areas in the country that would enable them monitor al-Qaida movements in the country. During this time, the al-Qaida group was recruiting new members to aid in the war between them and the invaders. Paul & Yvonne (2005) outline that during the first months of the operations, the United States managed to bring down Kabul who was one of the Al-Qaida leaders. A special unit of the American army also managed to capture major cities that have been under the Taliban rule for a long period. This was a major blow to the al-Qaida group as the cities were their main strongholds and the Afghan government was helpful in identifying Al-Qaidas areas of operations. The Taliban moved to Pakistan to regroup themselves in preparation for an attack on all the coalition forces in Afghanistan. This forced the United States to extend its operations to Pakistan to ensure that the Taliban supporters and al-Qaeda forces did not have any hiding places. The United States special unit decided to extend to the Philippines and Iraq with the intention of warning the governments on the sudden rise of the Islamic groups. Branson (2010) outlines that the Iraq government was not cooperative and this forced the United States and other organizations to use force. Saddam Hussein was accused of sponsoring terrorist to carry out attacks in different parts of the world. Husseins regime gave the United Nations a difficult time as Iraq used chemical weapons to fight Iran and this has a negative impact on the neighboring countries. Iraq became a threat to the United States and they deployed their forces there to ensure that any alliances formed by the al-Qaeda with other Islamic groups could be closely monitored. The invasion in Iraq was condemned by Islamic groups who claimed that this was a religious fight where the Muslims were the main targets. The United States denied these claims stating that it was war against terrorism and not a religious war. Annabel (2006) states that the war against terrorism has brought various countries together and this has been a major boost to the United States. Nations have sent their troops to support the United States to fight Al-Qaeda and other upcoming terrorist groups that pose a threat to the international community. Analysis on the conflict Role of Religion in the conflict According to George & Eness (2003) there exist a bid gap between America and the Middle East countries that feel isolated from the rest of the world. Religion has been a major dividing factor in this conflict between the United States and other Middle East countries. For example, terrorism is linked with Islamic organizations and this made the world believe that Islam promotes terrorism and does not respect human life. However, Muslim leaders have come up to condemn the acts of terrorism stating that Islam teachings only focus on honoring Allah and argue that the Islam religion has respect for human life. The leaders have made efforts to separate the involvement of its followers in terrorism and Islam itself as a religion. The terrorist, on the other hand, believe that their acts are in accordance with the instructions and they are fighting the holy war that will earn them a good title in heaven. This shows that religion plays a great role in the conflict and for the conflict to ever be settled the misconceptions on religion should be eliminated. Kelvin & leveret (2008) outline that the main drive of the terrorist is the promises given to them during the training and this explains the increase in suicide bombings. Some terrorist even go ahead to make their prayers during the attacks. Role of the Media in the conflict Meyer (2009) states that media has played a significant role in increasing the conflict that exist between Iran and the United States. File footages have been released showing the Islamic groups and other terrorist groups recruiting new members and taking them through intense training. This has created much tension in the United States that have responded by making preparations for future wars that may arise. The United States has also invested a lot in the military by training soldiers how to use powerful weapons. The media is constantly making headlines on the progress the Iranian government is making in manufacturing nuclear weapons. For example in 2005, the New York Times revealed the teaming up of Afghanistan and Iran in making Nuclear bombs. This raised much concern over the security of the United States and other countries. The Iranian government had no apologies for it and the Iranian prime minister went ahead to ask the international community to stop keeping an eye on Iran and concentrate on their own development. This response angered many countries and Britain immediately stopped funding Iran (Henderson, 2011). Conclusion America has been the main target for terrorist for many years and it can, therefore, take no chances when it comes to its security. Barrack Obamas government has taken up after George Bush on the war on terrorism too and this has led to the killings of many suspected terrorists. The Iranian government has criticized the war on terrorism accusing the United States of using the war on terrorism to reduce the liberty of its citizens. Attempts by the United Kingdom, Australia and Britain to resolve this conflict have not been successful as both countries are not willing to let go off their demands (Daniela, 2006). Russell & Geoffrey (2009) outline that the United States has promised never to remove its troops from Iran and other Middle East countries until it is assured of its security. Iran, on the other hand, has vowed to carry on with its nuclear program stating that though the main intention of the program is to generate energy and if need be they will use it make nuclear weapons. The history of relations between the United States is a clear indication that the grudge between the two countries is not about to end. For example, the power that the United States has had on the politics of the Middle East in the past is still being felt up to date. The Iranian government is, therefore, careful in ensuring that the United States does not influence the political decisions of its citizens. The tension that exist between the two countries has made the United States intensify security around its borders. It has also heightened immigration regulations to ensure that any possible threats are detected. Patrick (2003) outlines that the conflict can end if the two countries heed to each others demands. Iran should stop the nuclear program and the United States on the hand should remove the economic sanctions that it has imposed on Iran as well as withdrawing its troops from the Middle East. Meyer (2005) describes the situation between Iran and United States as an endless war that will continue for generations to come. The war with Iran is inevitable countries and should stop looking for solutions to the conflict but rather prepare themselves psychologically for war. It is evident that the nuclear armed Iran is not ready to surrender neither is America willing to withdraw its troops from Iran. References 1. Annabel, K. (2006). War on terror, New York: Macmillan publishers 2. Branson, M. (2010). Can the War in Afghanistan be justified? New Delhi: Polity Press 3. Daniella, C. (2006). The Rise and fall of the Shah, United Kingdom: Welley Publishers 4. Erick, H. (2010). The Islamic Revolution of 1979, Texas : Rursters Press 5. George, T & Eness, G. (2003). Sanction on Russians Energy, Minneapolis. Library of Congress 6. Henderson, B. (2011). War in Afghanistan, Boston: Bianden. 7. Russell, E & Geoffrey, G. (2009). American Imperialism, Illinois: Rimpa publishers. 8. Kelvin, P & Leveret, E. (2008). The struggle of Power in Middle East Countries, California: Lanner publishers. 9. Paul, H & Yvonne, G. (2005). The Iraq War, New York: Scholastic Press. 10. Patrick, M. (2003). American Invasion in the Middle East. Chicago: The University Press. 11. Suzanne, T. (2001). America’s “War on Terrorism” Ohio: Silver springs Press. 12. Meyer, D. (2009).The Globalization of NATO, New Orleans: Spert publishers. 13. Whitney, C. (2005)Energy Production in the Middle East, Ohio: Wert millers publishers. Read More