Radar Armenia‘s interlocutor is Iranologist Tigran Davudyan.
– Israeli forces continue to bombard Lebanon. How will you interpret it?
– Israel has big security problems in the northern regions of its territory. More than one hundred thousand residents, feeling threatened by Hezbollah’s attacks, left their homes. After achieving relative success in the Gaza Strip, Israel has amassed large forces in the north of the country to push back Hezbollah forces and create a security zone on the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel has hit Hezbollah hard in the last week. Due to the simultaneous explosion of the pagers, more than three thousand fighters and supporters of the latter were injured, several high-ranking commanders were killed, and hundreds of missile launchers were destroyed. The Israeli authorities are under severe pressure from their citizens to ensure the safety of the residents of the border regions.
– Under what circumstances will Iranian forces intervene and strike Israel?
– In my opinion, under the current conditions, Iran does not have the opportunity to attack Israel directly. The April attack showed that all friends of Israel are helping Israel with the highest military technology. Israel has also announced that in case of an attack by Iran, this time, it will give a severe response, and Iran cannot resist such an attack for now because it is inferior to Israel in the field of air defense. Tehran helps its representative (proxy) forces in the region with weapons, advisers, and other means but does not directly intervene.
– The Iranian president has stated that he is ready to expand cooperation with Turkey in all fields, especially strengthening regional security. Considering Armenian-Iranian and Armenian-Turkish relations, isn’t this statement risky for Armenia?
– Iran and Turkey are partners or competitors in the region. The statements of the leaders of Iran and Turkey are not new and do not pose any risk for Armenia. Iran and Turkey are supporters of the 3+3 format negotiations for the solution of South Caucasus issues, which Armenia also welcomed. There is an opinion that the next negotiation of the 3+3 format will be held in Ankara after Moscow and Tehran.
– The President of Iran also stated that Iran’s priority is relations with neighboring countries. Are these statements of the Iranian side keeping Azerbaijan on guard in order not to unleash new aggression against Armenia?
Yes, regulating its relations with its neighbors is a priority for Iran, which will also restrain Azerbaijan. The newly elected president of Iran, Mr. Pezeshkian, started his foreign visits from Iraq and autonomous Kurdistan. According to experts, he will visit Turkey next. Kazan is also included in the program because Iran is a member of BRICS. I assume that after visiting several neighboring countries, Mr. Pezeshkian will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan later.
