U.S. Responds to Iran Aggression
According to a report by Yahoo News last week, the U.S. launched a cyberattack against Iran’s military computer systems. The alleged cyber-attack was reportedly in response to the downing of an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone, which nearly caused President Trump to order military airstrikes last Thursday. The President ultimately called off the strike after learning of the possibility of 150 Iranian casualties, and opted for a different approach.
Two unnamed U.S. administration officials told that the cyber-attack targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The attack “disabled Iranian computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers” according to the Washington Times.
In addition to the cyberattacks, last Monday, President Trump announced new economic sanctions on Iran. The President Trump’s recent actions emphasize the growing tension between the two nations following Iran’s recent military aggression and a “policy of maximum economic pressure on Tehran” to prevent the government from possessing nuclear capabilities.
Tensions have been high between the U.S. and Iran following Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), created under the Obama administration, and have further escalated in recent weeks.
The Department of Homeland Security has detected a “recent rise in malicious cyber activities directed at U.S. government agencies by Iranian actors and proxies.” These campaigns have become a viable tool against the U.S. interests, targeting U.S. government agencies and sectors of the economy. “In these times of heightened tensions, it is appropriate for everyone to be alert to signs of Iranian aggression in cyberspace and ensure appropriate defenses are in place,” the National Security Agency spokesman Greg Julian said in a statement to the Associated Press .
Despite President Trump’s newly imposed sanctions, The Guardian reported on July 1st that Iran had broken the terms of the JCPOA by exceeding its stockpile limit of low-enriched uranium (set at 660 lbs.), a critical component for both civil nuclear power generation and military nuclear weapons. The Washington Times reported that Iranian officials consider this development just the beginning, suggesting “that the nation is poised to dramatically ramp up its nuclear-weapons program” unless the U.S. meets its economic demands by lowering sanctions. The Washington Times reported that Iranian officials consider this development just the beginning, suggesting “that the nation is poised to dramatically ramp up its nuclear-weapons program” unless the U.S. meets its economic demands by lowering sanctions.
Iran’s latest provocation aims to pressure Europe to resume trade with Iran to ease economic turmoil. Exceeding the limit was a gamble as it could result in a return of all international sanctions on Iran.
For now, European states are opting not to reimpose U.N. sanctions in order to “defuse the crisis.”
