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PressTV: 0:18
… Spotlight. I’m Marzieh Hashemi. Thanks so much for being with us. Iran’s navy, Northern Fleet and Russian vessels are conducting maritime drills in the Caspian Sea. “Together for a safe and secure Caspian Sea” is the slogan that has been chosen for the drills. Now, according to Iran, the primary goal of the exercise is to reinforce maritime safety and security while fostering greater cooperation among naval forces of the Caspian Sea littoral countries.
But what is the reason that these drills by neighboring countries are viewed with concern by some in the United States? Well, stay with us. We’re going to take a look at some footage and then I will be welcoming my guests.
2:15
I’d like to welcome my guests to the program. I’d like to welcome my first guest, George Szamuely, Senior Research Fellow, Global Policy Institute, London Metropolitan University, out of Budapest. And Gilbert Doctorow,independent international affairs analyst out of Brussels.
Well, thank you so much. I’m going to start this off with Gilbert. Welcome to the program. Gilbert, what is your perspective about the significance of these three-day drills between Iran and Russia, along with other Caspian Sea littoral states?
Gilbert Doctorow, PhD: 2:57
Well, for one thing, it is a reaffirmation that after the 12-day Israel-Iran war, Russia remains interested and pursuing a very close relationship with Iran in all domains, including defense. So that is a signal to the world at large that this cooperation is in full effect.
At the same time, I, since you mentioned in passing that the United States might be one of those countries not pleased by the ongoing cooperation in the Caspian between Iran and Russia, it brings back to my mind what was going on 20 years ago when the United States was hoping to intervene in the Caspian Sea management by furthering the either pipeline or LNG shipments of Turkmenistan gas across the Caspian for the purpose of countering Russian gas dominance in Europe.
4:12
So it’s an old story as far as the United States is concerned, the United States trying to frustrate the Caspian littoral countries from managing the sea themselves.
PressTV:
Yeah, indeed. I mean, it’s interesting, because you just talked about the United States. I mean, looking at that, It’s quite interesting that Washington would have problems with neighboring countries having naval drills. When the United States goes to the other side of the world and have constant naval drills with so many different countries. I mean, let’s talk about that, the hypocrisy and the reason [for] such sensitivity about the Caspian Sea.
Doctorow: 05:00
Yes, well the United States is a practitioner of hypocrisy in its foreign policy in almost any domain that you touch. So it is not surprising that it would behave in a hypocritical manner with respect to the cooperation by these two countries in an area where it would like to intervene and have a presence, but is systematically excluded by the Caspian Sea littoral countries.
PressTV:
Well Gilbert, from your perspective, from a strategic perspective, how important is the Caspian Sea?
Doctorow:
Well, the Caspian Sea is of course a major asset for both Iran and for Russia. Transport across the sea between the countries is foreseeable, although the predominant emphasis in cooperation now is on landlines by rail through the Caucuses. Nonetheless, it is a major asset in many respects, not just defense, but also economic, that the two countries share. And so it is an affirmation of their cooperation, as I say, that they are carrying out these present military exercises.
PressTV: 6:23
Yeah, you just mentioned, not just from a military perspective, also from an economic one. Let’s look at that, because we know that both countries have been and are majorly sanctioned by the United States. Tell me about the possibility of actually enhancing the economies of both these countries via that route.
Doctorow:
Well, of course, sea transport is by nature cheaper than land transport, And it would be understandable that this would be one element in the increasing logistical cooperation between Iran and Russia. Although, as I say, the biggest investments that are foreseeable in the near future pertain to rail connections for the North-South corridor.
7:19
But notwithstanding that, development of shipping across the Caspian Sea has to be in the target projects of both countries. There is fishing, of course the Caspian is a source of caviar and other valuable seafood products, But I think the logistical angle is probably economically the more important.
PressTV:
What about the overall deepening military and maritime cooperation between these two countries, especially now?
Doctorow:
The two countries are a major stabilizing factor in the region, but they don’t stand alone. One has to mention, of course, the quite profound cooperation between Iran and China and recently during the Israeli-Iran war, the statement of interest and support that came from Pakistan.
8:29
So we’re looking at cooperation between Russia and Iran in a broader context of countries in Asia, in the part of Eurasia, that have defense interests as well as economic interests and are defying the efforts of the United States to sanction both and to harm both countries economically. This, as I say, the broader context should be very reassuring to Iran, because it demonstrates that it is considered an equal player in the broader region and has countries that support its vital interests and are, have pledged themselves to ensure that Iran stays independent and sovereign despite all of the efforts of the United States.
PressTV: 9:26
Right. Well, let’s talk about that, because one of the goals of the drills, according to Iran, is also to show that Iran and Russia and basically the littoral Caspian Sea states can control these waters themselves, can keep the Caspian Sea secure and can provide stability. And of course this is something that usually the United States does not want to see and usually try to say that they have to be involved in order for any area to be safe.
The importance of this and the important role of these two countries in providing that type of safety and security in the Caspian Sea?
Doctorow:
This falls again into a broader context. Both Iran and Russia are member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. And the primary plank, or the most significant unifying theme of the Shanghai Cooperation Agreement is precisely to provide security to protect these countries against terrorism, against violence, and against criminal gangs. So, in that respect, this particular operation that’s now starting between Russia and Iran falls directly in the line of security, anti-terror and anti-criminal gangs. It’s to provide safety in the sea and its littoral.
PressTV: 11:06
You mentioned the Shanghai Cooperation. Let’s talk about that side of things and possibly the expansion and having access to Central Asia and the Caucasus via, of course, that body of water.
Doctorow:
Yes, it is. There are a number of states that are bordering this sea. As I said, going back 20 years, the interest of Turkmenistan at that time, of course they’ve changed since, but at that time was to use the sea for purposes of transporting gas. The other states are equally interested in its being secure and in keeping out would-be troublemakers like the United States.
PressTV: 12:00
Well we know that Iran and Russia earlier this year have signed a cooperation and a defense pact basically, which includes joint drills and tech sharing and coordination against common threats, but without a mutual-defense clause. I want to talk about both sides, the importance of what it includes and what it has excluded.
Doctorow:
Well, to my understanding, it was on the initiative of Iran that a mutual defense component was not included in the cooperation agreement. That was back in December. There was the hope still then that Iran would find an accommodation with the United States, with the incoming Trump administration, improbable as that seemed at the time. Nonetheless, there was the hope that they would find accommodation, the sanctions would be lifted, the Iranian economy could prosper in a more normal way.
13:10
That, as we know, did not happen. Mr. Trump has been very difficult, has placed impossible demands upon Iran in the negotiations. And so the bet on accommodation was not successful. Nonetheless, I think specialists in Russian affairs, like myself, placed too much stress on the defense component and underestimated, perhaps, Iran’s ability to defend itself very well, as it did during the 12-day war. So I’m happy to say that we were wrong, that Iran possibly was correct in not putting in a defense component at that time, and had the opportunity to demonstrate to Russia and to the world that it is very capable of defending itself with its thousands of highly sophisticated missiles that are well protected against aerial bombardment.
PressTV: 14:15
OK, you said it was perhaps OK at that time. Let’s talk now. Then Iran, as you said, has shown the world its ability to defend itself. So at this point in time, your thoughts from a strategic perspective, do you think that there should be a defense pact now? Do you think that it should be expanded, the cooperation between Russia and Iran?
Doctorow:
Well, again, in a broader context, given what China has done, China sending several of its important naval assets into the Persian Gulf in the last couple of days of the Iran-Israeli war to demonstrate to the United States that it was ready for war if it came to that. Since China has proven itself as a very reliable and powerful friend in time of need, I think that it would be appropriate now for Russia to step in and do the same thing. Russia would not be standing by itself; t would have China as a fellow defender or partner in the defense of Iran. And for that matter, it would, we know now the commitment of Pakistan to Iran’s survival as a sovereign state.
15:42
So in this group of nations interested in Iran’s continuing sovereignty and independence, an agreement with Russia would make a lot of sense.
PressTV:
And how much of it you would say that, as a matter of fact, it’s the policies coming out of Washington that actually increases the possibility of these countries working even closer together as Russia is being heavily sanctioned, Iran is being heavily sanctioned and China as you brought up also under threat, from military threats to, of course, the tariffs. I mean, your thoughts basically, from a strategic perspective, would you think that these countries, whether we’re talking about China, Russia or Iran, would basically say that sticking together at this point in time is the best way forward in basically conquering or trying to deal with the global bully?
Doctorow:
Well, I think that it is very timely that the countries should stand together. We see now in the approaching summit of the EU-China that von der Leyen is coming with a message to President Xi that he should break his support, should turn his back on the support for Russia.
And we see Xi saying that that cannot happen because he understands perfectly that China is next on the U.S. destruction list. So in these circumstances, a very open confrontation and frank language, I think that it is appropriate for the countries that are under attack from the United States not to be bashful any more about defending their interests and readiness for war if it comes to that. In the same context, the growing visible rapprochement and mutual support between Russia and North Korea is a template for what can and should be done in the case of Russia-Iranian relations.
PressTV: 18:07
Your thoughts about the overall message that Iran and Russia want to send to the West with these drills?
Doctorow:
The message is that Mr. Trump has overplayed his hand. And that is to the detriment of US and Western interests. And it can only be corrected by a return to reason and realism, the acknowledgment that Iran was capable of destroying, utterly destroying Israel, and did not do it, that they accepted Mr. Trump’s request for a ceasefire not because Iran needed it, but because Israel needed it. That should be made more visible, so that the world community, the readers of the “Financial Times” and the “New York Times” would understand properly how that war ended and why Iran is a strong country that deserves full respect and not the treatment or the kind of bullying that Trump, through Witkoff, was trying to exercise in the failed negotiations.
PressTV: 19:29
And what do you think it will take to get to that point. On the one hand, yes, Iran definitely showed its strength. On the other hand, we have seen the jargon still coming out of these western capitals, and the lack of condemnation continues against the Israeli regime and the American regime. So how do we get there, what you said?
Doctorow: 19:53
For the United States to correct its positions on Gaza, that is impossible at this particular moment because of Mr. Trump’s dependence on support from the majority in Congress that are pro-Israeli, pro-Zionist, and unreasonable about the genocide and Israel’s violation of international law. So from the United States, I don’t expect a change any time soon, but from Europe, it is entirely thinkable. And I would look in that direction for a support in the case of Gaza to end this genocide at once.
Today is the National Day in Belgium, and the King, Philippe, made a speech to the nation. And one of the two foreign policy issues that he addressed was precisely Gaza and his call for the demand of the UN Secretary General for an immediate ceasefire to be respected. So this is coming from Belgium. He didn’t yet name Israel as the aggressor, as the perpetrator of genocide, but it’s coming close to that. So I think Europe is at the moment, a more hopeful talking partner on the issue of the Middle East that is certainly foremost for Iran at this moment. That is a tragedy in the neighborhood that Israel is perpetrating.
PressTV: 21:39
And on that note, I appreciate your being with me, my sole guest tonight on this “Spotlight”, Gilbert Doctorow, independent international affairs analyst out of Brussels. And unfortunately our other guests could not join us, but we thank you viewers for being with us on another “Spotlight”. I’m Marzieh Hashemi. Hope to see you right here next time. Goodbye.
Gilbert Doctorow 