Even amid the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc in both the United States and Iran, political and military escalation has continued between the two countries as they pursue conflicting interests in Iraq and the region.
Friday marked 100 days since a heightened US-Iran confrontation led to Iranian forces shooting down a Ukrainian passenger jet leaving Tehran, killing all 176 people on board, but the tensions have not dissipated. The “Green Zone” in Baghdad where the US embassy is located was targeted sporadically with rockets fired by Iraqi militias in January and February. A major attack on March 11 killed three service members, two of them American and one British, at a joint base north of Baghdad. The US responded with air strikes, hitting five locations of the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq on March 13. It also increased sanctions and designations on pro-Iran militias and Iranian officials.
On April 1, US President Donald Trump warned Iran of “a heavy price” if its militias attacked American forces or installations. He even threatened the possibility of retaliation inside Iran. The next day the US deployed Patriot missiles in Iraq, against Iran’s wishes.
The tensions stoked by the exchange of threats and bitter rivalry, especially over influence in Iraq, took another military turn this week.
On Wednesday, the US Navy accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of harassing five American ships in the Gulf. The US Fifth Fleet tweeted that 11 Iranian vessels “repeatedly conducted dangerous and harassing approaches" towards five US Navy ships in the north Arabian Gulf.
The escalation has raised questions in Washington about the status of US deterrence against Iran that the Trump administration claimed after the killing of IRGC general Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad on January 3.
The “repeated dangerous and provocative behaviour by Iran’s navy against US ships on the Gulf is unacceptable”, Mr Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said on Twitter.
The US has “been too lenient in responding to these incidents”, Mr Bolton, a hawk on Iran, said. “We must act to re-establish deterrence.”
But the US strategy remains vague beyond imposing sanctions and maintaining a military presence in Iraq and the Gulf. Mr Trump is also under pressure to avoid military escalation from Congress, which passed legislation in March that would block a US president from taking unilateral military action against Iran. Mr Trump is expected to veto it.
On March 27, Democratic leaders in Congress wrote a letter to Mr Trump urging discussions on any military action overseas. The US administration has been focusing its efforts on fighting the pandemic that has caused more than 34,000 deaths in the country, and Mr Trump is consumed by its impact on the US economy and his prospects for re-election.
For the next six months, as the US effectively enters election season ahead of the vote on November 3, the scope of any US-Iran escalation will have an impact on the race between Mr Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
A cheaper choice
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
