ArmInfo. The interests of Armenia require the normalization of Iran- US relations, in view of the fact that Iran is the only country in the region interested in Armenian national security. Expert on Eastern studies Emma Begijanyan expressed a similar opinion at today's expert discussion on the topic "New confrontation between Iran and the USA".
Begijanyan noted that in the current Iranian-American crisis, Armenia has correctly oriented itself, urging the parties to restraint. At the same time, she noted that the Armenian leadership could act as an intermediary in the negotiations between Iran and the United States.
According to expert estimates, the positions of Azerbaijan and Turkey around the escalated conflict in the region coincide, which runs counter to the position of Yerevan, which is interested in Iran remaining a stable and independent state.
The expert recalled that Turkey was the first to respond and express condolences over the assassination of the Iranian general, in particular urging Iran not to leave the killing of Soleimani unpunished. Thus, the expert believes, Turkey, warming up the conflict, demonstrates its interest in weakening the role of Iran in the region.
The expert noted that as the stronger the external and internal split within the Islamic republic, the more effective will be the Turkish and Azerbaijani expansion. "Ankara and Baku are making great efforts to spread pan-Turkism in the Turkic-speaking regions of Iran through cultural activities that are carried out there quite effectively," she said. Begijanyan cited an example of an incident in one of the Iranian provinces, where a village headman allowed himself to speak in Turkish against the background of the national flag of Turkey.
Begijanyan believes that after the assassination of Soleimani, the Middle East plunged into uncertainty: < Qasem Soleimaniwas the head of the guard for protecting the Islamic revolution in Iran. In addition, he was not only a commander, but also a strategist>. Begijanyan recalled that after his assassination, relations with the United States worsened, and all Iranian officials said they would take revenge, and this revenge would be terrible.
Speaking about the rocket attack on US military bases in Iraq, the expert believes that Tehran had notified Baghdad of planned attacks in advance. <If Iran claims 60 casualties, while the American side says that there was no loss of sweat, we can conclude that Iran cites such figures using them for an internal audience. If there really were casualties, the United States would not be able to keep silent about it>, she concluded.