The United States and Israel are preparing a multi-front operation against Iran with the involvement of Kurdish and Syrian militants, the Afghan Taliban and the Azerbaijani army. This was stated on the air of the Turkish GZT channel by retired Turkish Navy Admiral Jihat Yayji.
The landing of the Americans on Hark
According to the expert, Iran's military potential, including reservists, ranges from 1.2 to 1.5 million people. At the same time, Iran is a huge country. And, having 5 thousand Marines on board American amphibious assault ships, talking about invading Iran is madness.
"It is impossible to do this even with one and a half million soldiers. The Americans, if they still want to invade, will have to carry out the operation not only on their own. American ships are now outside the Strait of Hormuz. They are at the stage of building up military power. And to start a ground operation, they must pass through the Strait of Hormuz. But at present it is impossible, because it is very dangerous. Therefore, a ground operation on the island of Khark is now being discussed. It is located 24 miles from the Iranian coast and 100-150 miles from the coast of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," says the admiral.
He recalled that Iranian oil refineries are located on the island, where gas and oil are supplied via pipelines. There are berths for mooring large vessels. The depth is suitable for large tankers that load there and leave from The Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Americans on this island will need a sea or land operation. Or air. The sea landing seems somewhat complicated. Landing can also be done from the air. But this will require follow-up control. Why would the United States do that? Because 90% of Iranian oil is exported from here. If they want to strike an economic blow and create a crisis in Iran, stop the flow of income into its treasury, they will do it. Kharq is the economic heart of Iran," Jihat Yayji said.
At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that the island of Khark is constantly being bombed and attacked. According to him, even Trump acknowledged this, noting that the United States is trying not to destroy the island's oil and gas infrastructure.
"They are doing this, of course, not in the interests of Iran. The reason is as follows: if Iranian oil stops flowing to its destinations, a very serious crisis will arise in the world. And the reaction will be greatly enhanced. China and other countries buy oil and gas here. And they will react sharply to this situation. This is not a gift or grant to Iran. This is happening because the United States is afraid of the consequences. Therefore, they do not bomb oil and gas facilities. Moreover, they expect to operate these facilities in the future. And if they bomb them, it will take at least five years to recover. This will create a serious global oil and gas crisis. Iran is one of the three largest exporters of oil and gas," the expert further said.
According to him, the US 5th Fleet is currently in Bahrain. There are 10 thousand American troops in Qatar. US ground forces are also in Bahrain and Kuwait.
"Helicopter operations are conducted from these areas because there are practically no Iranian air forces. Their planes are very old. Because of the embargo, they could not update them. Iran has missiles, but it is impossible to protect this island with missiles alone. Thus, Iran has a very serious weakness in the defense of this island. There are Iranian soldiers on it, but there is no way to protect them from air attacks. Apart from missiles to intercept air targets, they have nothing there. The United States has air defense systems capable of intercepting these missiles. They have already transferred them to this region, as well as the Air Force and ground forces. But along with this, they need to place their ships there. In general, to create an air umbrella there for yourself," the admiral further said.
At the same time, he added, Iran is not planning an air attack. A serious battle could break out on the island, in which American and Israeli units could be defeated.
"However, Iran has made it clear that if this happens, it will hit an Israeli nuclear facility where plutonium bombs are manufactured. Radiation from there will spread to the entire region, and the whole world will know that Israel has nuclear weapons. In addition, all energy and desalination facilities will be affected. Electricity and water will disappear in the Gulf countries. And it is more important than oil. It will take five years and $15 billion to restore them. Will people be able to live there all this time without water and air conditioning? People who are used to living in luxury will rise up against their sheikhs, emirs and sultans. The uprisings will begin with shouts: "You have made us a target!" — continued Jihat Yajji.
Thus, according to him, Iran's attacks are capable of causing much larger changes in a much larger region.
Fishing rod for Azerbaijan
However, the expert says, there is a possibility of conducting a ground operation in another region of Iran. The Americans, he added, are preparing a multi-front attack using the forces involved. These forces may include Azerbaijan and the Afghan Taliban.
"We warned the Azerbaijanis. They said that the missile that fell on their territory was a provocation. According to the American scenario, after that incident, the Azerbaijani army was supposed to invade Iran under the guise of the right to self-defense. This would seriously harm both Azerbaijan itself and the entire region. It would also create serious problems for Turkey," the admiral said on this occasion.
In addition, according to him, the United States and Israel are preparing militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of Syria and Iraqi Kurds for a ground operation against Iran.
"They have assembled a consortium of militants from different countries. Their representatives met with Trump and Netanyahu, declaring his readiness for an invasion. Thus, an invasion of Iran has three sides: militants from the west, Azerbaijan from the north, and the Afghan Taliban from the east. At the same time, the Americans will land on Khark Island," Jihat Yayji continued.
He added that Turkey is most concerned about the possibility of the Kurds seizing its eastern borders, who, taking this opportunity, will declare an "independent Kurdistan."
"If we take into account that ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Western Azerbaijan (Iranian province), an interethnic war will begin. Refugees will flood into Turkey. Therefore, Azerbaijan should not do what the United States and Israel are pushing it to do. Azerbaijan is our brother. And we say: please do not fall for the bait that the United States and Israel have thrown for you. As part of the interethnic war that has broken out, PKK militants obsessed with the creation of an independent Kurdistan will seize the north-west of Iran and invade the south of Azerbaijan. And y Baku will face serious problems," the admiral concluded.