President Donald Trump’s recent threats, made in the context of Iran’s violent suppression of domestic unrest, come at a moment of exceptional internal strain for the Islamic Republic. As a result, any US attack now carries a significantly higher risk of rapid escalation, both regionally and inside Iran.
Following the downfall of the so-called Islamic State in Syria, Kurdish-run prisons hold about 8,000 suspected IS fighters and around 34,000 of their family members in camps.
But there is growing instability in the region as the central government in Damascus wants to extend its control across all of Syria, including the Kurdish autonomous region in the north-east.
In the past two weeks, government troops have pushed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) out of resource-rich areas they have controlled for a decade – since defeating IS.
Will the gates remain locked if this region becomes a battleground? The BBC’s Orla Guerin visited Roj, a camp holding the wives and children of suspected IS fighters near the Turkish and Iraqi borders.
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A judge said ICE activity could have “heartbreaking” effects but said the state hadn’t proven its case.
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