Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said the agreement between Russia and Turkey on northern Syria was in the interest of all parties, adding: “If Russia can persuade armed Kurdish fighters to keep away from Turkish borders, which is very difficult to do, the reducing of the tension will continue.”
Strategic Council Online: The declared goal of the US and its allies’ maritime exercises in the Persian Gulf is to limit Iran’s maneuvering power and controlling the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and Oman Sea, and it looks like the US will continue to maintain its naval fleet in the Persian Gulf for the next three decades.
Strategic Council Online: White House leaders have shown that US support for Saudi Arabia will continue as long as Saudi petrodollars flow into the pockets of US arms dealers.
Hamideh Safamanesh – International Relations Researcher
Strategic Council Online: Any insecurity on the international waterways will not only disrupt the security and infrastructure of the regional countries, but will also increase the insecurity of international politics and economics due to the link between world economy and politics and the region.
Nozar Shafiei – Expert on Foreign Policy Issues
Strategic Council Online: A Turkish affairs expert says Trump has given the green light to Turkey in invading Syria but President Erdogan must be aware that this is a trap by the US to undermine the Turkish economy, military and government in the interests of the Zionist regime.
Strategic Council Online: An international affairs analyst said the US-North Korea talks are not very clear, noting that although the issue of North Korean disarmament is important to Americans, it is not Washington’s only goal. The Americans are playing with North Korea in the region and do not want this issue to be solved easily.
Strategic Council Online: An expert on Turkish affairs said that criticisms by American statesmen of Turkey’s invasion of Syria are just verbal reactions, adding that in action there was in fact a relative harmony between US interests and Turkish concerns in that regard. By giving the green light to Turkey the United States has proven that it is still pursuing a policy of supporting terrorists, he said.
Strategic Council Online: Russia seeks to thwart US efforts to build coalitions in the region. Moscow sees the US plan as very dangerous that could both increase military presence in the region and enhance the likelihood of conflicts. So the Kremlin is trying to prevent the US-led coalition from escalating tensions in the region.
Mahmoud Shouri – Russia Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: The United States has announced its withdrawal from Syrian soil at a time that it gives the green light to Turkey to violate the national sovereignty of Syria and occupy 450 square kilometers at a depth of 30 kilometers.
Azam Gol Mohammadi – International Law Researcher
Strategic Council Online: A regional affairs analyst pointing to the dimensions and implications of Operation “Victory from God” in Najran and Yemen’s increasing resistance power said the spontaneous improvement could cause a balance of terror and concern among the Saudis. These developments have made Saudi Arabia more inclined to seek a mutually agreed to solution.
Strategic Council Online: Recent attacks on Aramco refineries not only inflicted huge economic losses on Saudi Arabia, but also the heavy humiliation over the failure of “buying security by oil” strategy and uncertainty over future security has prompted Saudi leaders to make news military purchases to fill the defensive gap.
Hamideh Safamanesh – International Relations Researcher
Strategic Council Online: A university faculty member said leveling accusations and pressures the United States is exerting on Iran in relation with the military strikes on Aramco oil refinery lack practical strategic value. “Their accusations are projections and originate from a weak defense and security structure which has cost Saudi Arabia billions of dollars,” he said.
Strategic Council Online: Undoubtedly, with this kind of response to Ansarullah’s ceasefire proposal by Riyadh authorities they intend to thwart accusations of warmongering and non-acceptance of peace terms. In contrast, they aim to undermine Ansarullah’s very positive and peaceful position over the past several weeks in the mass media.
Jafar Ghanadbashi – Middle East Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: A university professor said the recent developments in the region made it less likely for a Persian Gulf maritime alliance to get shaped, adding that when tension rises countries may declare in the political arena that they favor coalition or not but in the true dimensions of the coalition, countries are much less likely to welcome the idea because there is concern that the alliance would actually engage in military conflict.
Strategic Council Online: A Middle East affairs expert says the Saudi policy is one of destructive proxy policy, adding that the Saudi behavior is a function of the policies of the United States, the West and the Zionist regime. He further pointed out that despite Saudi policy of “buying security from the US”, the recent strike on Saudi oil facilities showed the weakness of the military-security structure of the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Strategic Council Online: Former Iranian ambassador to Iraq pointing to Lebanese Hezbollah’s military response to the recent Zionist regime aggressions, noted: “Expectations were that the Resistance would certainly respond to Israel’s audacity and as put by the Supreme Leader the time for their “hit and run” game is over. It is no longer the case for them to take some action and the nations of the region sit idle and just watch them.”
Strategic Council Online: The United States needs to conduct atomic tests to assess its capabilities and weaknesses to develop its nuclear capabilities. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) makes the job difficult.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – American Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are facing difficult and complicated conditions at the regional level, and the signs that are reflected outside the region and elsewhere in other countries indicate emergence of a passive state that has faced them with serious doubts as whether continue the Yemen war or not.
Strategic Council Online: On the one hand, Iran is sending a message to the West that Tehran has many different options for coalition making in the Persian Gulf, and on the other hand, the Russians are sending a message to Western countries that if they want to raise the level of tension in the region Moscow is also capable of playing a role in the Persian Gulf.
Shoaib Bahman – Russian Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said that the liberation of Khan Sheikhun shows that the Syrian government has the potential to liberate Idlib as well, stressing: “Turkey exercises double standards in this conflict. In terms of stance-taking, it is opposed to these forces but is associated with and supports the Takfiri forces.”
