Chain Reactions in Iran

Thann BennettNewsFaithPolitics
Written By Thann Bennett

War wages on in Iran, and there are several noteworthy developments this week:

- Six U.S. service members were killed when their KC-135 plane crashed during a mid-air refueling operation over Iraq. The accident involved a second aircraft, but it was able to land safely with no injuries to those onboard. There have now been 13 U.S. fatalities in the ongoing war.

- Oil prices continue to spike as U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for multilateral defense of the Strait of Hormuz, an important shipping channel off the southern coast of Iran. The Iranian regime claims control over the channel and has allowed some safe passage to countries not actively engaged in the ongoing war.

- U.S. President Donald Trump has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to relax upward pressure on oil prices. The move comes as Russia continues its war in Ukraine.

Analysis and eternal perspective: War is ugly. It’s an irrefutable truth we’ve acknowledged together regularly here at The Equipped. War creates no-win situations and decision points, and begins a domino chain that results in circumstances and choices otherwise unthinkable.

For example, Russia’s aggression and territorial lust for Ukraine land is no less today than it was last week, last month, last year, or three years ago. But the country receives some financial relief this week as it seeks to fund the ongoing war because the Iran war is causing economic pain in the United States, in part (there are many other factors) because of the shipping constraint caused by the Strait of Hormuz conflict.

Far more challenging than the financial pressure at American gas pumps is the loss of life. Thirteen families are forever changed after losing a loved one in the line of duty. It is an unimaginable loss, and we should be fervent and intentional in prayer for them.

There are no easy answers in war, and the pursuit of peace on Earth has always been extremely perilous and elusive for mankind. Even so, you as a Jesus follower are to grieve with those who grieve (Rom. 12:15), pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-2), and be persistent in your pursuit of peace (Ps. 34:14).

The preceding article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

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