How the Trump administration got into a showdown with Iran that could lead to war

Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS; GOL/Capital Pictures/MediaPunch/AP

• Tensions between the US and Iran have reached historic heights in recent months, prompting fears of a new war in the Middle East among lawmakers in Washington. 
• The US and Iran are locked in a tit-for-tat stalemate as they both seek to gain leverage over the other in a broader dispute linked to the 2015 nuclear deal and President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from it. 
• On the evening of January 2, the Pentagon confirmed that the US military, acting on the orders of the president, killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
• Soleimani is the highest profile official on either side to be killed in the ongoing tensions.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Rising tensions between the US and Iran have sparked fears of a military confrontation and potentially an all-out war. 

Here's a timeline of the evolving situation, and a summary of what both countries have been saying. 

In May 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Tensions between the US and Iran have risen ever since and reached a boiling point in recent weeks — particularly after the US in April moved to block all countries from buying Iranian oil.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Source: INSIDER

On May 5, National Security Adviser John Bolton released a statement announcing the US was deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the Middle East to counter threats from Iran.

Reuters

Source: WhiteHouse.gov

Bolton said that the deployment was designed to send "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack" on the US or its allies "will be met with unrelenting force." Bolton added, "The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack."

Reuters


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

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• The US is sending roughly 100 more Marines to defend the embassy in Baghdad after violent protesters stormed the gate

SEE ALSO: Trump might use a law signed days after 9/11 to justify war with Iran

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