‘Iran capable of attacking US interests in Middle East’
Despite technological superiority, Israel is vulnerable because of its small size and geographical position, say experts
By Mushfiq Ahmed
KARACHI, Pakistan (MNTV) – Iran has the capability to attack the United States interests in the Middle East in response to Israel’s strikes which killed top officials and damaged its nuclear sites, experts told MNTV.
“Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles and a fleet of drones which can not only target Israel but impact the already volatile Middle East region,” said Owais Tohid, a seasoned journalist.
“Iran will not let Israel’s attacks go unanswered. The U.S. has bases throughout the Middle East region including Iraq, and the Gulf,” he added.
“Iran can launch cyber-warfare against the U.S. and Israeli financial institutions. It might disrupt global oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz, a passage through which around 20 per cent of the world’s oil is transferred each day,” said Tohid.
Former Pakistan diplomat Ali Sarwar Naqvi, who is now executive director of Centre for International Strategic Studies, said Iran can attack the United States bases in the region – “in Qatar, in Bahrain.”
He said that despite its technological superiority, Israel remains vulnerable.
“It is a very small country. It will suffer a great deal if any of Iran’s missiles manages to get past its defenses,” said Naqvi.
Tohid said Netanyahu didn’t aim to destroy Tehran’s nuclear facilities as he claimed.
“Netanyahu wanted to kill any possible deal between Iran and the U.S,” he said.
He said the conflict would affect Iran’s neighbours, including Pakistan.
“If the conflict between Iran and Israel intensifies and engulfs the Middle East region, Pakistan will feel the heat,” he said.
“There would be fears of a spillover of violence from Iran into Pakistan which has a huge Shia population,” Tohid said and added that Pakistan might find itself in a difficult position of balancing between the Western powers including the U.S. and Iran.
Naqvi said the position that Pakistan has taken is the right one.
“Pakistan has condemned Israel’s action and has expressed moral support for Pakistan. Iran gave moral support to Pakistan during its recent war with India.
“It is not about Shia or Sunni,” he said.
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