World Events Summary: 8th -15th May 2018

Iran: Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal and began the process to fully reinstate the sanctions regime. The Iranians and European are still trying to salvage something out of the mess but Trump’s administration is actively working to prevent such an outcome. Secondary sanctions on European companies trading with Iran has undermined Europe’s independent foreign policy and badly damaged U.S.-European relations.

Israel: the official movement of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem further raised tensions in the Middle East. At least 52 Palestinians were killed while protesting and encroaching on the Israeli border wall in Gaza. The U.S. accused Hamas and Iran of being behind the protests. This raised tension levels yet again. Most Gulf states decried the U.S. and Israeli actions but stopped short of a full-throated condemnation of allies.

Syria: after Israeli accusations of an Iranian rocket attack on the Golan Heights a wide-ranging series of air strikes was conducted on Iranian facilities in Syria. Casualty levels appeared to be low so the immediate spiral into a direct confrontation between the two countries was contained. After further discussions between Russia and Israel the prospect of a Russian-made upgrade to Syria’s air defences was reduced.