Under the above heading, Anton Chaplin wrote in Svobodnaya Brisa, asking: Who will Moscow stand with in the event of a new war in the Middle East?
The article reads: The Wall Street Journal published a report painting a picture of the “tanker war” in the Persian Gulf, based on conversations with US and Middle Eastern officials.
Experts reported that Israel used a variety of weapons (in particular, mines) to attack at least 12 Iranian oil tankers bound for Syria.
Although these attacks did not sink any of the Iranian ships, at least two of them were forced to return to Iran, delaying the delivery of oil to Syria.
Reports of alleged Israeli attacks could spark a new round of confrontation between the two historic foes, Iran and Israel.
In regard, he said The chief researcher of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Mikhail Roshin:
Israel will now certainly refrain from launching a major war against Iran.
Even during Trump’s rule, which is rigid in support of Israel, the latter has refrained from taking active action, although it has often resorted to highly aggressive rhetoric.
And as it appears now, it is not in Iran’s interest to start a major war. This was demonstrated in the recent Karabakh conflict, in which the Iranian army, had it wished, could have intervened, but it did not do so in principle.
What is Russia’s position in this situation?
Our previous policy in the Middle East justified itself. Of course, old allies like Syria or Iran cannot be abandoned. But at the same time, it is beneficial to maintain a working relationship with Israel to solve problems emerging in the region.
I think Russia will try to maintain the necessary balance. Israel is needed, first, because many immigrants from Russia live there; Secondly, because it is a live channel for communication with the West, and relations with it are suffering tension today.
The article expresses only the opinion of the newspaper or writer
