An Assassination, a Missile Response - Now the Wait on Events in the Middle East

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on January 02, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq, on the direction of United States (US) President Donald Trump. Tensions immediately heightened in the Middle East as Iran promised revenge for the killing of its revered general. 

Early this morning, Iran, in response to the assassination, mounted missile attacks upon two bases in Iraq that house US forces in the region. Iran had forewarned Iraq and others ahead of the attacks. There were no casualties reported. Iran described the events as a "slap in the face" for the US, the BBC-News reported. 

Iran appears to have concluded its state-sponsored response to the assassination of Soleimani. Donald Trump, appearing before the American public in the aftermath of the Iranian response, claimed that Iran appears "to be standing down." Yet, the president announced that more sanctions would be imposed on the Islamic Republic.

Now there is a wait-and-see period to determine whether or not future events in the region would amount to a lessening of tensions in the Middle East.

If Iran's reaction has been concluded without any loss of American lives, then under rational conditions, the timing could be ripe for a diplomatic solution to achieving some measurable stability and security in the affairs concerning the US-Iran and the wider Middle East.