How could Iran crisis lead to World War Three? Tehran could hit back with cyber attacks or terror attacks on US forces or Israel – provoking Donald Trump to retaliate in tit for tat that could drag in Russia, China and Turkey
Iran has vowed to extract a ‘crushing revenge’ on America after Qassem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike
Ayatollah Khamenei is personally overseeing meeting of the security council in Tehran to consider a response
Likely targets will include US bases in Iraq and Syria, allies including Saudi Arabia and Israel, and oil tankers
Fighting could drag in Russian and Turkish forces in Syria, and ally China which has ships in Gulf of Oman
By CHRIS PLEASANCE
DAILYMAIL.COM
3 January 2020
Iran has vowed to exact a ‘crushing revenge’ on American forces in retaliation for the killing of Quds commander Qassem Soleimani – leaving the Middle East on the brink of a conflict that could quickly spiral into World War 3.
The Iranian National Security Council is currently meeting in Tehran – chaired by Ayatollah Khamenei himself for the first time ever – to consider its response.
At their disposal is the world’s 13th most powerful military, a host of militia groups spread across the Middle East, proxy-forces such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and allies like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.
Targets in their crosshairs are likely to include US troops and military bases in Iraq and Syria, Israeli forces in the Golan Heights, tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure.
While initial strikes are likely to be limited, they could herald a tit-for-tat series of events – drawing in Russian forces stationed in Syria defending a key Iranian ally in Bashar al-Assad, and Turkish forces fighting in the country’s north.
China also has ships stationed in the Gulf of Oman and recently carried out joint naval drill with both Iran and Russia, raising the prospect that they could also become involved.
The US, China, Russia and Israel all have nuclear weapons – with at least three of those possessing next-generation hypersonic missiles capable of breaching all defense systems.
If Iran decides to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, as it has often threatened to do in the past, a host of world powers including European nations which rely on the oil which flows through the waterway could find themselves having to defend their interests.
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