In order to deter Iran

Confrontations continue between Washington and Tehran's militias in Syria

The American base in the field of age.

archival

On the orders of President Joe Biden, the US military launched air strikes, on August 23, 2022, against infrastructure used by groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, and these attacks came in response to the attack carried out by Iranian militias, in Last August 15, on an American base in the Al-Omar oil field and the “Conico” natural gas field in Syria.

Iran responded, it seems, by launching another missile attack against the American base in the Omar field on the third of September, which led to the sound of explosions and rising flames.

Motives for the American strikes

There are reasons behind Washington’s escalation, which it carried out against sites linked to Iran in Syria, and they can be addressed as follows:

Curbing Iran's Militia Threats

As a result of these strikes, Washington wanted to convey a message to Tehran that Washington could not remain silent about threats to its forces and interests in the region, especially after the militias linked to Iran in Syria tended to escalate their attacks, as these groups, on August 15, By attacking the Syrian "Al-Tanf" base, where there are US forces, with three drones, which was followed by another five days of missile attack on the Al-Omar oil field, which includes the largest bases of the international coalition against ISIS, without causing any casualties.

Therefore, the American forces launched successive strikes against targets linked to Tehran in Deir ez-Zor, as they targeted nine caches of ammunition out of 11 depots in the area. , represents an important focal point in the process of supplying militias with ammunition in Syria and the entire region.

From these attacks, Washington seeks to assure Iran that its targeting of American bases in response to Israel's targeting of Iranian bases in Syria will prompt Washington to cooperate with Tel Aviv to target Iranian militias and their hideouts in Syria.

Hence, Iran will not only fail to deter Israel from attacking it, but will also add to it the burden of US forces' attacks against its militias.

Strengthening the US negotiating position

The American escalation against Iran in Syria came on the same day, when Washington announced that it had delivered the response to Iran’s comments on the draft proposed by the European mediator to revive the Iranian nuclear agreement, which means a desire to pressure Iran to accept the American response, and to stop making new demands in Syria. negotiations.

On the other hand, Washington is seeking to prevent Iran from using its militias in Syria as a pressure card against Washington in the negotiations.

Washington also aims from these strikes to emphasize its continued role in responding to Iranian threats in the region, even if an agreement is reached with Iran on its nuclear program, that is, separating the negotiation track with Tehran from confronting its threats.

contain internal pressures

It seemed clear that the US strikes aimed to absorb the increasing pressures that the US administration is facing internally, whether from the Republican or Democratic parties, as a result of what they see as inaction on the part of the White House regarding dealing with Iran in the negotiations, especially at a time when the midterm elections for the US Congress are approaching. , amid growing signs of a decline in the popularity of President Biden and Democrats.

Reassure the Israeli side

The US strikes coincide with Tel Aviv’s intensification of its air raids on the headquarters and depots of weapons and ammunition belonging to the Iranian militias in Syria, which was repeated on August 14 and 22, 2022, in the areas of the Damascus, Hama and Tartus countryside, which carries messages of reassurance of the United States’ commitment to coordination and cooperation with Israel to confront threats from these militias.

This escalation on the part of Washington can also be interpreted as an attempt to appease the Israeli side, which is opposed to reviving the nuclear agreement with Iran, as Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid described the current agreement as bad and does not fit the criteria set by President Biden himself, to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state.

Lapid sent to Washington, during the past two weeks, senior Israeli military and security officials on three successive visits, namely, the Israeli National Security Adviser, Eyal Holata, the Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, and the head of the Israeli intelligence service, David Barnea, with the aim of dissuading Washington from signing an agreement. Such is the case with Iran, and the development of a "credible military option" to deal with Iran's threats.

Dimensions of the Iranian response

Despite Iran’s denial of any connection to the targets that Washington struck in Syria, tracking what Iran has done after those attacks confirms that it will move to continue escalation, which can be clarified as follows:

Conducting unmanned aerial vehicles

Iran announced, the day after the American attacks, the start of large-scale maneuvers, with the participation of the four forces of the Iranian army, for the first time, and more than 150 drones, throughout the country, without specifying an end date, noting that the aim of these maneuvers is to simulate Targeting "enemy" command centers, logistical support centers, missile systems and radars.

This reveals that these maneuvers came in response to the confrontation between Washington and Tehran in Syria, in which “Iranian drones occupies a special place, as the American base of Al-Tanf was attacked using these drones.”

This maneuver is also gaining importance, given that it is Iran’s response to the maneuvers that the United States and Israel have carried out in the Red Sea, to simulate strikes against Iran in the sea and in the air, as well as the penetration of Iranian F-35 aircraft into Iranian airspace. During the last two months.

Therefore, Iran sought to display its power by revealing its latest unmanned aerial vehicle, such as the "Cruise Ababil", in an attempt to deter Washington and Israel from attacking it.

Threatening American interests in the Gulf

The naval forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in the wake of the recent American attack against its affiliated groups in Syria, seized a ship and a drone belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in the Gulf waters, on August 29 and 30, before releasing them later, even if Iran removed the cameras. From them, which indicates that Iran is seeking to develop its capabilities in photography and surveillance by seizing American cameras, and trying to develop similar models.

Continued nuclear escalation

A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, on August 30, 2022, showed that Iran had started enriching uranium using one of three sets of advanced centrifuges “IR6” at the uranium enrichment plant in “Natanz”, which bears a remarkable indication, especially as it coincided with The sensitive timing of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and Washington.

This means Iran has ignored the demands of Washington and the West to speed up the return to nuclear commitments, which makes it difficult for the chances of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, especially in light of the Iranian President, Ibrahim Raisi's announcement, on August 30, that the nuclear agreement is contingent on ending the IAEA investigation. The nuclear program on the effects of enriched uranium at three undeclared sites in Iran, obtaining guarantees that Washington will not withdraw from the agreement again, and the complete lifting of all sanctions imposed on Iran, and the practical and objective verification of that, which indicates Iran’s continued toughness in the negotiations, and then prolonging extended it.

Targeting the Omar field again

On the third of September, Iran targeted the Green Zone in the Omar field, which is the residential city attached to the oil field and which is used by the US Army as a residence for its soldiers and officers, an attack that resulted in explosions and smoke rising from the base.

Press sources revealed that ambulances rushed to the Green Zone, in an indication that there might be casualties as a result of the attack.

The recent Iranian attacks against al-Qaeda reveal that Iran does not care about the deaths of American forces at the base, which reflects an escalation by Iran against the United States.

In conclusion, it can be said that Washington and Tehran will continue the approach of escalation during the next stage, especially in light of the faltering of the nuclear negotiations, against the background of Iran’s insistence on its demands, and the failure to change its position on the main contentious issues, with the Israeli factor firmly entering the front line between the two parties.

As a result of these strikes, Washington wanted to convey a message to Tehran that Washington could not remain silent about threats to its forces and interests in the region, especially after the militias linked to Iran in Syria tended to escalate their attacks.

The US escalation against Iran in Syria came on the same day that Washington announced that it had delivered a response to Iran's comments on the draft proposed by the European mediator to revive the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news