Iran nuclear award for supporting Russia’s war
When the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in February, the idea that the Iranian regime could play a key role in the war seemed unimaginable to some. gradually escalating its involvement in
Iran’s first move, along with staunch ally Syria, was to vote against UN General Assembly resolution ES-11/3, which suspended Russia’s membership of the UN Human Rights Council in April.
Then, in the first instance of military cooperation between conflicting Moscow and Tehran, Iran’s theocratic regime began supplying Russia with kamikaze drones. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this led to the disqualification of the Iranian ambassador in Kyiv and the reduction of diplomatic staff at the embassy.
The Islamic Republic recently came under threat after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a speech to the US Congress earlier this month, accused Tehran of supplying Russia with arms. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said in a statement posted on the Iranian regime’s official website: Zelensky should know that Iran’s strategic patience with such baseless accusations is not limitless.” We should draw lessons from fate,” he added.
But the evidence that the Iranian regime is arming Russia and fueling the fires of the conflict is overwhelming. The EU concluded that Tehran, in the form of “development and delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia”, was in fact “providing military support to Russia’s unprovoked and unjust war of aggression against Ukraine”.
As the engagement escalated to the next level, the Islamic Republic began sending troops to Crimea to support Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians and to increase the effectiveness of its suicide drones.
“Iran has decided to introduce training aircraft and technical assistance to help Russia use its drones with higher lethality,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council. Stated.
Now, along with drones, the Iranian regime also plans to provide Russia with ballistic missiles. It is worth noting that the Iranian regime has the largest and most diverse arsenal of ballistic missile weapons in the Middle East.
The Iranian regime has become increasingly involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
But how does the Islamic Republic benefit from its involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine? First of all, after being hit by harsh international financial sanctions, Tehran increased trade and We are looking for a partner who can avoid led sanctions.
According to Bloomberg’s latest report, Tehran and Moscow have established a new transcontinental trade route that stretches nearly 3,000 kilometers from Europe to the Indian Ocean, “not subject to any foreign intervention.”
The report adds: Ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows that dozens of Russian and Iranian ships, including those subject to sanctions, are already sailing the route. ”
Militarily speaking, there is an opportunity for the Iranian regime to learn from drone failures during the Russo-Ukrainian war and use the information gained to further perfect its drone technology and ballistic missile program. Furthermore, the Islamic Republic will most likely ask Russia to provide advanced military technology in exchange for Tehran’s assistance.
UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace told Parliament earlier this month: And international security — we must expose that deal. In fact I have just now.
Third, by supplying arms to global powers like Russia, Tehran’s regime asserts itself on the world stage as a major national player with significant military power.
Finally, it is not unrealistic to assume that the Iranian regime will seek Russian assistance to advance its nuclear program. Russia and Tehran have previously built several nuclear reactors in Iran and worked together to advance the regime’s nuclear technology. It has become increasingly clear that the Islamic Republic has crossed the nuclear threshold and is about to become a nuclear power.
As Zelensky rightly warned, “I have a question for you. How is Russia paying Iran for this, in your opinion? Is Iran only interested in money? Instead of Russia’s support for Iran’s nuclear program, perhaps this is exactly what their alliance means.”
The Iranian regime has become increasingly involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. By adding fuel to the fire, Iran’s leaders are seeking economic and military gains.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Arab News
