Iran has become involved in a number of conflicts since the establishment of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In 1980, Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded, leading to a brutal 8-year long war that killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians on both sides, many through the use of chemical weapons. The war would eventually end in a stalemate. Iran also became involved in numerous other regional conflicts, sponsoring a number of armed groups, especially those opposed to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, that tension spilled over into armed confrontation frequently, especially in the Persian Gulf. Iranian-backed groups fired missiles at Saudi Arabia and American troops in Iraq, and the U.S. assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in January, 2020. A few days later, Iran mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing over 100 passengers and crew.
In recent years, popular protests against the regime have become common. In 2019, widespread anti-government protests broke out across Iran. In response, the government imposed an internet blackout and killed over a thousand protestors. The protests resumed in 2020 following the government’s attack on the Ukrainian airliner, and continued at a lower intensity throughout 2020, despite the violent repression by the regime. In 2022, a young woman named Mahsa Amini was killed in police custody, after having been arrested for supposedly violating laws mandating the wearing of the hijab. In response, protests broke out all around the country, even more widespread than the 2019 demonstrations. The government’s response was just as harsh as before, with hundreds killed for protesting. Tens of thousands were detained, including many human rights activists. The protests, which often included the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”, directly challenged the government and its strict interpretation of Islamic law, and despite the violent response the spirit of the protestors remains throughout Iran. Beginning in the 1990s, Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons program began to draw international attention and concern. A deal was reached with the U.S. and other involved countries in 2015, but the U.S. withdrew soon after following a change of political leadership. Tensions in the region remain high, with Iran and its proxies taking aggressive military action in and around the Persian Gulf, often matched by the U.S.b
Peace efforts:
The Iranian government has refused to negotiate with protestors, with demonstrations and calls for reform met with violence and mass detentions. However, there has been incidental progress with international diplomacy. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was an international agreement designed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. American President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, despite Iranian compliance with the agreement. The U.S. has not rejoined the agreement, but it was an important sign that diplomacy and a peaceful resolution is the most effective way to bring peace to the region and overcome longstanding disputes.
