Airstrikes, holy sites, protests and an assassination are just a few elements of the crazy situation unfolding between the U.S. and Iran. Tensions between the two countries have been on the rise since 2018, but they escalated significantly after the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, on Jan. 3. The U.S. carried out the assassination after four U.S. service members were wounded and a U.S. contractor was killed in a Dec. 27 attack on an Iraqi base by an Iranian-backed militia.

The U.S. has stated that the assassination was to deter future attacks against U.S. embassies, service members or diplomats, but lack of congressional approval for the assassination caused controversy among members of Congress. Iran responded to General Soleimanis’s death with airstrikes on two bases in Iraq where American troops were stationed. The attack resulted in no casualties. The U.S. did not take further military action after the airstrikes.

Additionally, after repeated denials, the Iranian government admitted that it accidentally shot down a Ukranian airliner on Jan. 8, resulting in 176 deaths.

Although the tensions with Iran are playing out overseas, for Tologs, the talk of war and chaos doesn’t feel that far away. Many students feel uncertain about how this issue will play out. 

The Veritas Shield interviewed Tologs to get their thoughts on the situation.

“I’m definitely worried. We’re already on the edge of these insane actions. How much further is this going to go?” Anya Millard ‘22 said. 

Because of the troubling history the U.S. and Iran have, the possibility of war weighs on people’s minds.  

“I just think that the climate right now is pretty troublesome, and it’s obvious that there’s some tension between our president and the Iranian leaders. I’m a bit worried,” Bella Fraley ‘22 said.

Because the U.S. military already has a heavy presence in the Middle East, some Tologs believe a war would stay overseas.

“It’s not a huge worry for me personally, but [war is a worry] for the citizens in Iran. They’re the ones that are going to get hurt,” Isabella Zirn ‘23 said.

Social media has played a large role in many Tologs’ perception of the situation.

“If you go on TikTok and stuff, there’s a lot of jokes about potential World War III, so it’s kind of desensitized me to the possible threat of war. It feels so surreal that it could actually happen, [so much so] that I’m kind of just like, ‘Oh it won’t happen,’” Sarah Hanks ‘20 said.