The shock of a Russian base in Iran

Abdulrahman al-Rashed points out in his latest article published in Al-Arabiya English that Russia’s deployments of its bombers at an Iranian base to target the Syrian people is a very significant move in terms of developing Russian-Iranian ties.

However, “Arab and Western shock following Russia’s announcement of its first military base in Iran reveals an underestimation of the nature, depth and intentions of ties between Tehran and Moscow,” the writer explains.

The writer adds that “worse still is the belief that the Iranian regime has changed and is ready to become a peaceful and civil state that is friendly to the West,” arguing that Iran’s policies will always remain the same.  

The writer then argues that “Iranian-Russian alliance has existed for 15 years now,” mentioning the building of nuclear reactors, military contracts and trade during the phase when international sanctions were imposed on Iran.

“The establishment of the Russian base, takes the region back to the era of the Cold War and its divisions,” the writer argues.

The writer then argues that “a positive of the Russian-Iranian alliance is that our friends in Washington cannot accuse us of paranoia or belligerence,” explaining that “the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Iraq are all Iranian battles to change the regional map while Russian air power supports Iranian ground forces.”

The writer concludes by stating: “Moscow feels it can use the Iranians to expand its influence and besiege areas that are traditionally allied with the West. The aim of the game and its conclusion may be bigger than what we see today.”