Why US-Iran strikes are raising fears of a wider conflict | Bel Trew explains - video Dailymotion

Why US-Iran strikes are raising fears of a wider conflictCredit: The Independent

Transcript

00:00Over the weekend, I think everyone was glued to their screens

00:03and we saw that the US joined Israel in its extraordinary bombing campaign of Iran.

00:08US President Donald Trump said that it was a successful strike

00:11that hit three nuclear facility sites in Iran.

00:15We don't know the extent of the damage yet,

00:17but the biggest question in everyone's mind is,

00:19what does this mean for the region and for the world?

00:21With some people even speculating that we're on the cusp of an international conflict.

00:26In the last few minutes, there have been explosions heard above Doha in Qatar.

00:31One of the biggest concerns is that Iran has threatened to retaliate against the US

00:35and that they might target US assets across the region.

00:39Qatar is home to the largest US base in the Middle East.

00:42Earlier today, the Qatari airspace was closed

00:45and also the US and the UK governments advised their citizens to shelter in place,

00:50fearing that it might become a target.

00:52I was speaking to officials who are knowledgeable about the situation

00:56and they warned that they were preparing for a worst case scenario that could see Qatar be targeted.

01:02There's also similar concerns for US bases in countries like Iraq and Syria, as well as Jordan.

01:09What we've heard in the last few minutes is that air defence systems have been activated

01:13above Ain al-Assad base in Iraq, a base which I understand has already been evacuated.

01:18The concern is just how far is this going to go and will there be a counter-strike by the US

01:24against Iran for its counter-strike?

01:27The other concern, of course, is the Strait of Hormuz.

01:29Iran has threatened a chokehold over this key oil shipping lane.

01:34If they do that, because the shipping lane goes through Iranian territorial waters,

01:37it could impact global oil prices and the global economy.

01:41At the moment, it's impossible to predict and the situation is changing every few minutes.

01:46But there are deep concerns about where this is going in the future

01:49and the fact that it's increasingly becoming an international conflict.