By A few weeks ago, officials from the Israeli and Saudi Arabian government – notably Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu – met with U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in Neom.
Out of those talks, rumors arose that the Trump administration told the Israeli government to prepare for attacks on Iran.
This was especially disturbing given that Iran is already struggling through the economic sanctions the U.S. government imposed on them during the global pandemic, which is limiting their ability to get life-saving supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Middle East, no country has been hit worse by this pandemic than Iran, and based on rumors, they could still endure a violent strike before President Donald Trump leaves office.
We should not collectively punish Iranians for their oppressive government’s actions through a potential war.
A while after this meeting, Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated. While the U.S. and allies celebrated this, it appeared to be an attempt to provoke Iran at one of its weakest moments in history.
The U.S. already collectively punishes Iranians through economic terrorism, which is what sanctions are, with this pandemic being one example to prove how economic sanctions kill civilians. We should not collectively punish Iranians for their oppressive government’s actions through a potential war, too.
While there’s a lot we may not know, and we don’t know what will happen next, this much is true: it’s immoral that three of the world’s leading military and intelligence powers – the U.S., Israel, and Saudi Arabia – are ganging up on Iran while its economy is collapsing and while its people are struggling to get the medical help they need due to economic restrictions.