2021-2022 Persian Gulf crisis

### Location

Iraq, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Persian Gulf region (including Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz, and Arabian Sea)

## Major Events

### Events:

Signing of the Iran-Popular Mobilization Forces deal
2021 Iran missile strike on American drone
March 2021 United States missile strike in Iran
2021 Iraqi air base attack
March 2021 United States airstrike in Syria
Signing of the Joint Pact for Regional Peace

## Casualties

The **2021-2022 Persian Gulf crisis** is the ongoing state of heightened military tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, as well as their respective allies in the Persian Gulf region. Beginning in January 2021, the United States put its military presence in the region on high alert after Iran signed a joint military pact with the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi umbrella organization composed of several separate forces, including Islamic militia groups backed by Iran. This was followed by a subsequent increase in political tensions between the two countries when Iranian arms and monetary funding to the Popular Mobilization Forces that trickled down to Iraqi militias was sent to the Islamic Caliphate Organization (ICO), a jihadist paramilitary and political terrorist organization seeking control of Iraq and Syria and the overthrow of their respective governments, as part of a separate contract for control over Iraq if and when ICO overthrew the Iraqi government, was signed. The Iraqi government originally sponsored the Popular Mobilization Forces, which assisted their forces in the civil conflict against ICO, but suspended all relations after the Iraqi militia-ICO agreement was made public. The Popular Mobilization Forces in return ended their public allegiance to the Iraqi prime minister, and announced their allegiance to ICO.

Several free-trade merchant ships were damaged in the Persian Gulf during January 2021. Western nations blamed Iran, though they denied involvement. In February 2021, Iran shot down an unarmed American surveillance drone flying over the Strait of Hormuz, sharply increasing tensions and the risk of a possible armed confrontation between the two countries. The Iranian government claimed the drone was armed and invaded sovereign airspace. After they refused to abide by a United Nations Security Council Resolution, the UN conducted two independent investigations and concluded the American drone was neither armed or in Iranian airspace. The United States retaliated against Iran in March 2021 after the report was published stating the drone was protected in international airspace. Fears of an armed confrontation again grew, and Iranian president Sabahifard Hatami repeatedly threatened the U.S., but refused to comment on further conventional military plans and eventually failed to act. U.S. President Tom Kirkman said he supported the one-time retaliatory strike and wanted to avoid full-out armed confrontation at all costs. The Syrian government condemned the American retaliatory response and offered its support to Iran despite Iranian funding trickling down to the Islamic Caliphate Organization, which was responsible for the February 2021 Aleppo attacks and various other terrorist attacks in the Middle East, sparking the Syrian-ICO War. Syria later announced their neutral stance in the crisis after intelligence was made public that Iranian funding went to ICO.

The crisis escalated in mid-March 2021 when members of an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group, part of the Popular Mobilization Forces backed by Iran, killed three American service members in an attack on an Iraqi base hosting U.S. personnel. The United States retaliated for the attack days later in airstrikes against the militia's facilities. Iran again condemned the retaliatory attack but did not respond. Conventional military action temporarily settled after the U.S. offered an ultimatum to the Iraqi militias, detailing a calming of tensions if the militias halted attacks on American service members, otherwise U.S. airstrikes would continue. The militias agreed to the ultimatum.

Heightened tensions between the United States and Iran settled after a months-long period of calmed relations. President Tom Kirkman expressed optimism for a future U.S.-Iranian nuclear deal and peace negotiation to end tension in the region, to which the Iranian government responded positively. U.S. Secretary of State Catherine Durant and the Iranian Foreign Minister signed a joint agreement, to which both governments agreed to an end of direct military strikes and responses. Iranian-backed militias in turn settled their attacks on U.S. forces. Despite an end to direct U.S.-Iranian strikes and the cooling of relations, some minor tensions remained after Iranian forces seized merchant ships of companies based in the United Kingdom, a close ally of the United States. The crisis is a particular concern for some Maritime safety as challenges to commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf now remain an issue after direct military interaction settled.