Global News

The confrontation between Tehran and the United States is entering into a ‘Cold War’ phase. Experts interviewed by Izvestia are confident that Iran won’t leave General Qasem Soleimani’s assassination unpunished and the conflict will eventually turn into a proxy war in third countries, like Iraq and Lebanon in particular.

Head of the Iraqi Advisory Council and a former presidential adviser Farhad Alaaldin told the newspaper that both Iran and the US have mechanisms to influence Baghdad. Tehran has weapons deployed to Iraq and is capable of opposing any political force or leader supported by the other side. Besides, pro-Iranian forces have high-ranking positions in the Iraqi government.

Lebanon may become another battlefield in the conflict between Iran and the US, Senior Researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies Boris Dolgov said. The pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement has been active in Lebanon since the mid-1980s, the expert pointed out, adding that Saudi Arabia’s positions in the country were strong, and a thing to note is that Riyadh is Washington’s main regional ally.

The assassination of Soleimani and further developments marked the culmination of the conflict between the US and Iran, Senior Researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies Vladimir Sazhin told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “However, both Washington and Tehran came to the conclusion that an escalation of tensions may have very serious consequences, so they have stepped back. A lull has set in, but it is temporary,” the expert