US, Iran on precipice of unpredictable Middle East war

[nitpicker]

https://www.dw.com/en/us-iran-on-precipice-of-unpredictable-middle-east-war/a-51883739

US, Iran on precipice of unpredictable Middle East war

The US killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, near Baghdad's airport is a seminal event that brings Washington and Tehran to the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East.

A spymaster, military operative and diplomat wrapped into one, he was one of the Islamic Republic's most powerful men — and according to one poll the most popular public figure — responsible for regional policy in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and beyond.

His killing creates the spark for a vicious circle following a series of escalations since the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, imposed crushing sanctions and declared economic warfare under its "maximum pressure" campaign without providing a diplomatic off-ramp to deescalate.

Viewed from Tehran, Soleimani's heroic "martyrdom" is an act of war building on other "criminal" acts committed by the United States.
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Hamidreza Azizi, an assistant professor at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, said that if Iran doesn't act on threats to retaliate it will lose face both domestically and externally.
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It's unclear how, when and where Iran will retaliate, but it will be forced to respond directly or indirectly at a time and place of its choosing, raising questions as to whether that will pull the US deeper into a military conflict. Any reprisal against the US military, interests or allies will be viewed by Washington as a reason to escalate further after the Trump administration justified the killing as an act of "deterrence" and preemption against alleged attacks being planned against the United States.
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[DanieRains]

1. How Many Have To Die For No Good Reason?

Millions?

Losing face......

[no_hypocrisy]

2. You know that Iran will retaliate for the assassination.

For one thing, they feel pressure to respond on several levels. For another thing, if Iran DOESN'T retaliate, either Trump will do something ELSE to provoke them, won't shut up about how he "took out" their top general/leader, or both.

[Stuart G]

3. Please read ..."Shootdown of Flight 655 & retaliation of that" in this forum