MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. The US and Israel are preparing for new strikes against Iran; the US may extend the temporary waiver allowing third countries to purchase oil from Russia; and the anticipated resumption of Russia-Ukraine talks is delayed for now. These stories topped Monday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Tehran is capable of mounting a significant retaliatory strike in the event of a new joint US-Israeli military operation. Domestic unrest is virtually nonexistent, and Iran’s missile capabilities have been recovered. Earlier reports indicated that Washington and Tel Aviv are preparing to resume strikes against Tehran in the near future due to a lack of progress in negotiations. In Lebanon, the parties have agreed to extend the ceasefire for 45 days, but a return to hostilities remains plausible there as well.
In the event of a renewed conflict with Iran, the US will adjust its strategy: rather than scattered attacks on Iranian territory, the new plans will focus on strategic waterways, primarily the Strait of Hormuz, Alisa Kazelko, a member of the Russian Export Center JSC and a Valdai expert, told Izvestia. "A ground operation, however, remains an extremely unlikely scenario. Washington clearly has no intention of repeating the costly Middle Eastern experience of the 2000s and will therefore prefer to use air and sea forces, which allow strategic goals to be achieved without a long-term military presence," she noted.
