Iran complicating its own problems by attacking US interests

Mervat Zakaria

Tensions are high between the United States and Iran, days after Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats harassed American warships in the Arab Gulf off the coast of Kuwait.

Iranian threats

Revolutionary Guard commanders threatened, meanwhile, to attack U.S. warships in the Arab Gulf, especially if the U.S. maintained what they described as its hostile policies towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iran works to increase its influence in the region, which at the end threatens U.S. interests in it.

The return of Revolutionary Guard provocations is quite significant.

Heightened tensions

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are high in an unprecedented manner. This is especially true in Iraq and Syria. The two countries jockey against each other to control Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. and Iran approve the appointment of Mustafa al-Kazmi as the new prime minister of Iraq. Nevertheless, this does not mean an end to conflicts between the two countries over Iraq.

Iran continues to pose threats to U.S. interests in the Arab state. This explains an upsurge in attacks between the two sides at the end of last year.

Acute crises

Heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington come at a time the Iranian economy faces unprecedented challenges induced by U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The sanctions are causing economic difficulties to Iran, especially after they started including vital sectors, including the banking sector.

The U.S. also started tightening the noose around Iran, making it difficult for the Islamic Republic to find perverted ways to satisfy the needs of its people.

The coronavirus outbreak also came to compound Iran’s economic problems. Iran had applied for an International Monetary Fund loan to maintain its response to the virus. Nevertheless, its request was turned down which threatens this response.