In statements that raised many questions among observers about their contexts and motives, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani revealed that his country enjoys good military relations with China, and that it is currently discussing with it the sale of Iranian drones, so what is meant by that?
What is the message that Iran wanted to deliver, and who is the message addressed to?
On the Iranian level, Ali Akbar Darini, a researcher specializing in Iranian-American studies, pointed out - in his interview with the "Beyond the News" program (6/3/2023) - that Iran is improving its relations with China and Russia as part of its policy to move towards the East, as Tehran wants to be an exporter. weapons to these countries in order to counter the sanctions imposed on them by the West.
The researcher explained that the statements of the Iranian Minister of Defense reveal that relations with Beijing are not limited to economic cooperation, but rather extend to the field of defense and security, and thus he sends a message to the West that Iran is a global player that can buy and sell weapons from a country like China, which gives the impression that the world is turning towards A multipolar system, no longer unipolar.
He also went on to say that America returned Iran, China and Russia at the same time, which allowed the three countries to ally with each other and strengthen relations, explaining that Tehran needs hard currency, which makes it need to sell weapons, especially as it has defense contracts with those countries and must respect them.
The division of the world into camps
On the American level, former US Defense Department advisor Matthew Kroenig explained that since the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine, the world has been divided into 3 camps, the first of which is his country and its allies, then North Korea, Iran, Russia and China, and on the other side are the non-aligned countries that did not join any party.
He added that Iran gives Russia weapons to engage in what he described as a bloody war against Ukraine, and this is what makes America follow this cooperation with great concern, noting that what worries his country is the rapprochement between countries hostile to Washington and using military force in order to change the balance of global power.
Kronig explained that what worries America is the conflict in Europe and Asia on the one hand, as well as China's invasion of Taiwan, which may make his country deal with two major wars at the same time, and Iran increases tension by selling weapons to those countries, in addition to that it is also on the verge of building its nuclear programme.
American unilateralism
It is noteworthy that the Iranian Minister of Defense also stressed that relations with Beijing and Moscow can limit what he called American and Western unilateralism in the world, and with regard to the Russian Sukhoi-35 fighter jet deal, Ashtiani stressed that his country has not yet received these fighters, despite the completion of the deal before.
As for rumors about the possibility of Tehran purchasing the Russian S-400 systems, the minister denied his country's intention to purchase these systems, and confirmed that it has enough defensive anti-aircraft missiles.