Political tensions are escalating between the United States and Iran, and the fear of a possible third world war escalates as well. In case the worst happens, several countries will be coming in defense of both parties, and some countries stand a chance of getting stuck in the crossfire.
A political back and forth between the Iranian military and the United States military has resulted in a lot of bloodshed on both sides. But with the latest strike from the United States, killing the second most powerful Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, Iran has also warned to fight back for Soleimani’s death. World War 3 trended on social media since the threats, inciting fears of a possible war. The Pentagon stood by their stance, announcing that it was a way to ensure the prevention of Iranian attack plans.
The Iranian government has also retaliated, with President Hassan Rouhani stating that Soleimani’s death will “make Iran more decisive to resist America’s expansionism and to defend our Islamic values.” Rouhani added that “Iran and other freedom-seeking countries in the region will take his revenge.” and his sentiments were echoed by the Defense Minister Amir Hatami and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
So it bears wondering who will be helping which country in case a war breaks out. It is known that Iran has allies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip. Iranian militia has also been training the Shiite militia that is based in Iraq. As for the United States, they have several countries as allies, such as Albania, Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Iceland, and Latvia to name a few.
Along with knowing who is allied with whom, Express reports that there will be eight European countries that will get stuck in the crossfire in case of war. According to a US government report, in case Iran tries to fire back with missiles, eight European countries will be affected. Those eight countries are Belarus, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, and Poland. Along with these eight countries in Europe, it is also possible that Iranian missiles may even get to 12 countries in Africa, as well as India, China, and Russia.
The world leaders have since urged Iran to heed the 2015 JCPOA agreement or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.