The United States military has denied a report in the Iranian press alleging it has deployed Patriot air defense missile systems to Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province near that country’s oil and gas fields.
Even if the US fails to extend the embargo indefinitely, Tehran is unlikely to go on a spending spree for new armaments any time soon.
Any potential cooperation in the future will depend on the type of tone that Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sets going forward.
Naval warfare analysts who spoke to Rudaw English say the small speedboats used by the IRGCN could pose a genuine threat to America’s carrier fleet deployed in the Gulf.
Iran has a strong track record of developing increasingly sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles, writes Paul Iddon.
Amid an ongoing standoff with Iran and its militia proxies, the United States has deployed Patriot air defense missiles to Iraq while consolidating its troops in fewer bases.
Given Turkey’s demonstrated aversion to combat losses, the death toll could lead to greater domestic opposition to Ankara’s increasingly risky forays beyond its own borders.
Kurdistan promptly shut its borders with Iran on February 25 — more than a week before the first death was recorded, on March 4th.
Despite Turkey’s launching of a major military operation against Syrian regime forces in Idlib, experts are doubtful that a large-scale war between Ankara and Damascus is likely.
“Erdogan may have had dreams of annexing large chunks of Syria to Turkey at an earlier stage of the uprising, but those dreams are turning into a nightmare.”
