With Memorial Day serving as an introduction to summer vacation and the Fourth of July having come and gone, it is worth bearing in mind not only the sacrifices of United States soldiers in the past but also the lives of active United States armed forces. For this reason, it is important to take note of the worrying situation that goes on with the United States military and its involvement in Middle Eastern nations. 

The relations between Iran and the United States have become increasingly hostile, evidenced by Bloomberg’s reporting of President Donald Trump’s words and actions toward the government in Iran.

“President Donald Trump ordered more troops to the Middle East as the Pentagon blamed Tehran for recent attacks in the region, yet the small scale of the U.S. move signaled a desire to avoid a further escalation of tensions between the two nations,” Anthony Capaccio and Margaret Talev wrote. “The U.S. will bolster forces in the region by about 1,500 troops.”

With this troop increase, the situation in Iran has the potential of turning violent despite the “intention” of avoiding escalation. This very possible likelihood brings the issue home by putting American lives in jeopardy in a series of regional conflicts that was supposed to have ended years ago while still failing at any vaguely claimed regional goals. 

The constant back and forth stream of antagonistic actions only worsens the situation. The United States is so willing to continue this struggle that they would even turn to nations that are historically opposed to American interests, including Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration has recently approved the sale of $2 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, all without Congressional approval. This illustrates a larger problem because it shows a trend of aligning with nations that have committed mass acts of human rights violations and have shown themselves to be opposed to our basic constitutional values.

Saudi Arabia has demonstrated this by the murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi because of his criticism of the government. This is merely a singular instance of the Saudi Arabian government’s disregard for human rights, which repeatedly is overlooked by the United States government. Another chilling thought is the chance of this situation becoming violent.

“The dangers are extreme in terms of miscalculation,” Sen. Jack Reed said in an interview with Bloomberg. The Rhode Island congressman declined to discuss the Pentagon threat briefing he’s received on the Iran situation, but said he was “absolutely” concerned about miscalculation by Iran in reacting to the U.S. moves.”

We as Americans can and must be knowledgeable of these issues because while we cannot control the actions of the Iranian government, it is in our best interest in terms of lives, capital and peace to monitor the actions of our government.