Tehran, IRNA – US State Secretary Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s trip to the Persian Gulf region possibly suggests that Americans are willing to ensure their regional partners, after US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Blinken’s trip to Doha was officially announced as being aimed at thanking Qatar for it efforts in helping evacuate US forces from Afghanistan; however, it must have had other goals, including ensuring Persian Gulf states that the US won’t forget its allies, though Washington has proven that it would leave its allies whenever it deems it necessary for its interests.
IRNA has reached to international relations expert Ali Asghar Zargar to ask him about the objectives and indications of the trip by two US secretaries.
The United States has two objectives in this trip, Zargar said; first to ensure its Persian Gulf allies that this region wasn’t similar to Afghanistan and the US wouldn’t leave it alone; and; second to convey the message that the US wants its Persian Gulf allies to be able to defend themselves.
On the consequences of the US exit from Afghanistan, Zargar said that the withdrawal has caused a power void which can lead to the expansion of Iran’s influence in the region provided the countries abandoned by the US reach a stable situation.
Otherwise, if these countries become more unstable and a civil war arises in Afghanistan, it will impact Iran’s security. The US want’s to enable its allies to replace Iran in the first case, and to let anti-Iran forces enter Afghanistan in the second case.
The expert also noted that the high level trip also seeks to contain Russia’s influence in the Persian Gulf region, as some countries have expanded their military ties with Moscow.
Zargar underlined that in this situation, de-escalation and expansion of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia can help Iran protect its interests not only in Afghanistan but also in the broader region and make the required space for multilateral talks without the US presence available.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
