The United States must leave the Middle East alone and leave the region immediately. This opinion was expressed in a comment to the Federal News Agency by Anton Bredikhin, PhD in History and editor-in-chief of Archont magazine, and Natalia Eliseeva, political scientist and political technologist.
The murder of Suleimani
The situation in the Middle East is getting hotter – the murder of Iranian General Kassem Suleimani by the American military is expected to set the situation in the region on fire. According to the Iranian TV channel Press TV, about 80 Americans were killed in a rocket attack on U.S. air bases in Iraq. However, it is impossible to confirm the exact number of victims yet.
The Pentagon emphasizes that not a single American military man was injured as a result of the shelling by Iran.
Earlier, it became known that preparations for the assassination of General Suleimani had lasted several months. Anonymous sources told the American edition of The Washington Post that President Donald Trump was persuaded to take this step by the head of the U.S. Department of State and former CIA director Mike Pompeo.
Iran was guided by the UN Charter
According to military expert Yuri Lyamin, Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on bases with the American military in Iraq was an absolutely expectable and justified action after the killing of General Kassem Suleimani, commander of the Al-Quds forces of the Iranian IRGC. In this case, Iran was fully guided by Article 51 of the UN Charter, which gives any country the inalienable right to self-defense in case of armed attack.
“And the American attack on a high-ranking Iranian military commander and his companions, who flew to Iraq to meet the head of that country’s government, is fully such an armed attack. Iran, as a sovereign nation, could not leave such an attack unanswered. It is worth noting that the U.S. actions in the Middle East in principle resemble an elephant in a china shop. Using their power, they regularly completely forget about diplomacy, which often has catastrophic consequences for the entire region”, – concluded Yuri Lyamin.
The US should leave the Middle East.
According to Natalia Eliseeva, Americans have always used the Middle East as a bargaining chip in foreign policy. They saw this region as a source of useful resources, as a platform for strengthening foreign policy positions, as an excuse to find a new aggressor and unleash another war.
“Trump is using Iran for his election campaign. They are trying to have a “little victorious war”. But it couldn’t go on for long, especially after Suleimani’s murder. Iran’s patience should have burst sooner or later. The country had every right to strike at American bases for killing its general”, – explained Natalia Eliseeva.
The expert recalled that the United States does not abandon attempts to rock the region. At the same time, Eliseeva expressed the opinion that Washington did not fully understand whether Iran would react to the murder of Suleimani.
“Iraq also has the right to harshly respond to the U.S. actions on its territory. Tehran and Baghdad are categorically against the US. Because of American policy, Iran and Iraq are suffering. And the murder of Suleimani is part of Washington’s aggressive policy. Americans must understand that if they do not leave the Middle East, their bases will continue to be under attack. For Washington now, the best option is to leave the Middle East”, – said Natalia Eliseeva.
As Anton Bredikhin noted, the Americans have finally played in the Middle East.
“Their disgusting act demonstrates all the internal vainness of Washington. They want to show the world that they have the right to kill anyone, anywhere. In doing so, they are killing leaders as significant as Suleimani, actually the second face of Iran”, – explained Anton Bredikhin.
According to the expert, the murder of Suleimani, which took place under the statements of Washington about the withdrawal of troops from Iraq “at some point”, is an appeal to Russia to join the people oppressed by the Americans. Bradykhin reminded that even the Russian Empire was creating the Euphrates Cossack army to stabilize the region, and the Persian Shah was guarded by the Cossack Guard.
“During the years of Soviet power, positions to support Saddam Hussein only strengthened. Russia has experience of interaction with Iranians in Syria. We used their military infrastructure on Iranian territory. Is it not time to create joint Russian-Iranian formations in Baghdad and other regions of the country? The Persians need Moscow’s support now more than ever and even refused to supply oil to Belarus. It is time to show the new “Kuzkin’s mother” to Washington,” says Anton Bredikhin.
The murder of a high-ranking official of a UN member state has become an unprecedented violation of international law in modern history. The U.S. destroyed international norms that had developed over several centuries – during the XIX and XX centuries.