Main points
- Iran responded to the US and Israeli strikes by attacking American military bases in neighboring countries.
- Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko speculated whether World War III would begin due to events in the Middle East.
Tensions in the Middle East are escalating. After the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, it retaliated by attacking US military bases in neighboring countries. However, Tehran's ability to confront such adversaries is questionable.
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko emphasized in an interview with Channel 24 whether the events in the Middle East will lead to World War III. According to him, there is no reason for this due to the weak position of one of the parties to the conflict.
Why doesn't Iran close the Strait of Hormuz?
Fesenko believes that Iran is now trying to raise the stakes as much as possible, because the survival of its regime is at stake. Especially after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Iranian authorities are seeking maximum revenge.
Therefore, in the coming days we can observe an outbreak of aggression. And from both sides. There may be a certain chain reaction, especially from Iran, because it needs to demonstrate revenge,
– he noted.
However, Iran's resources are limited. It has accumulated a lot of missiles and drones and is now trying to use them. Moreover, according to the political scientist, it is using new tactics, launching them not only at Israel, but also at American facilities located in Arab countries.
Many believe that this is a mistake on Iran's part, because it is thus increasing the number of countries that are now very dissatisfied with its actions and will therefore support the United States. They will be interested in seeing such a regime cease to exist, or in seeing Iran's military power destroyed as much as possible for the future,
– he explained.
At the same time, Fesenko disagrees with the thesis that is currently being thrown around that a third world war is approaching due to events in the Middle East. In his opinion, there will be no such war, because Iran has no allies who are ready to fight for it.
Russia has defined its position – it will not fight for Iran, because Vladimir Putin does not want to quarrel with Donald Trump. In the long term, he wants to reach an agreement with the USA. In addition, there were also contradictions between Iran and Russia. Even their strategic partnership agreement did not provide for mutual military assistance. Russia has a different situation with North Korea,
– noted Volodymyr Fesenko.
China, in his opinion, will not fight for Iran either, even though it is important for Beijing in terms of obtaining oil. However, China is very interested in the war in the Middle East ending quickly and the normal functioning of the oil market being restored.
Important! China has responded to the large-scale operation by the US and Israel against Iran, calling on Washington and Jerusalem to immediately cease military action to avoid further escalation of the situation. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran during the negotiation process are unacceptable, as are “open assassinations of the leader of a sovereign state and calls for regime change.” Such actions, according to official Beijing, contradict international law and the basic principles of international relations.
“That is why Iran still does not close the Strait of Hormuz, although such a risk remains. This is due to the position of China, which is categorically against this,” the political scientist emphasized.
If the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, it will mean an escalation of the war, as the US will move to unblock it and may even launch a ground operation against Iran.
War in the Middle East: what are Trump's latest statements?
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Donald Trump said he “really didn't want” the events surrounding Iran to drag on for too long, as he had initially assumed the operation would take about four weeks. According to the president, the US is even ahead of schedule. However, he added that whatever the deadline, whatever needs to be done to complete the operation, that much will be done.
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The American leader also suggested the possibility of deploying US troops to Iranian territory. Trump noted that he is ready to take such a step if the situation requires it.
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In addition, Trump announced a wave of new attacks on Iran, noting that the US “has not yet started” to strike seriously.