Missile strikes, cancelled flights, and unrest in the Middle East. The Iran and Israel conflict is one that has been off and on for decades: but this latest iteration might be one of the most impactful in the long term. With the cultural and political division of these two high volume energy production countries, the economy will almost certainly see impacts that could devastate different markets.
Beginning on June 13, with drone strikes followed by full force airstrikes on Iran nuclear facilities from Israel in an operation labeled “Rising Lion,” retaliation soon followed. Iran has been known to have been developing and storing nuclear arsenals and weaponry that could potentially disrupt power dynamics in the Middle East. With tensions growing between the Persian and Arab peoples in this region, potential nuclear arms races have led to extreme political unrest. When confronted as to the reason for the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history … we are defending the free world from the terrorism and barbarism that Iran fosters and exports across the globe. The attacks would continue for as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us.”
This was met by Iranian Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s response, “The Zionist nation would not last long… the resistance in the region will not back down.”
The conflict has been covered from outlets across the globe, with the Times of India and Al Jazeera covering most of the Middle Eastern side and the Times covering much of Trump’s stances and statements.
Iran’s retaliation struck US bases in Qatar and Iraq, as well as an Israeli hospital. With civilian infrastructure being targeted on both sides, the conflict has found itself in a partial war-scale. This led to Qatar and Bahrain closing their airspaces. Jordan has cancelled virtually all flights from the US as has the United Arab Emirates. With civilian air travel being essentially cut off completely from the Middle East, study abroad trips across the country are being cancelled as well.
The US chose to enter the conflict with Trump’s authorization of bombing Iranian nuclear bases. With six US bomber planes in action and the US officially entering the war, congress expressed displeasure at not being consulted. This has led to tensions growing on the US front and many different states already being affected. In response to opposition of his decisions, Trump, “endorsed the Israeli strikes and claimed it was “really late” for Tehran to resume talks—calling it an “ultimate ultimatum” demanding Iran’s unconditional surrender.”
With a NATO summit on the horizon and a large scale mobilization of troops and equipment on all sides, this conflict could grow to a globally involved war. On the Wyoming front, fuel prices could rise, the economy could suffer a dent due to the instability of the global energy market: specifically fossil fuels and coal, and potential large scale deployments could lead to a higher conservative reinforcement of defense and energy policies.
