A top official from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) gave a dire warning this week regarding two of America’s biggest adversaries, Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The two not only “have a growing relationship” but Russia is “beholden to Iran” after several months of weapons sales.
US Lieutenant General Alexus G. Grynkewich, commander of the 9th Air Force and combined forces air component commander for US CENTCOM, told reporters that Russia could potentially open avenues for Tehran to advance in the region, leading to further instability and chaos.
The US CENTCOM Commander described Iran as an “authoritarian, theocratic regime that is bent on punishing people for very minor transgressions of freedom.” Grynkewich also mentioned Syria, where Russia has had heavy troop presence for years following Syrian President Bashar-al Assad’s close relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Earlier this month, the Biden White House released a statement that stated “Russia-Iran military partnership appears to be deepening,” citing Iran’s sale of hundreds of attack drones to Russia.”
Foreign Desk News reports: “After launching his invasion of Ukraine in February of last year, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and other allies of Putin voiced their support for his invasion providing economic and military aid against the West, which enacted a bevy of sanctions against the Russian economy.”
Grynkewich referred to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, whose members carry out attacks in Syria against ISIS targets, stating that Tehran “certainly wants the coalition to depart from Syria.” If the coalition partners were to retreat from their role in Syria, Tehran would have the ability to have “Iranian-aligned groups move advanced conventional weapons and lethal capabilities across Syria for their own purposes: to threaten Israel or to threaten other interests with whom they disagree,” Grynkewich said.
“If they are able to open up avenues where Iran is able to push lethal aid through Syria that threatens Israel, that is certainly a concern for the US,” the US CENTCOM Commander added.
The US CENTCOM Commander also told reporters that allies, including Israel, have “every right to act in their own defense, and the US has an ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel. And that will continue.”
