Iranian Army Chief: New Security Situation in the Region

US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)
US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)
TT

Iranian Army Chief: New Security Situation in the Region

US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)
US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)

Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi commented, on Saturday, that a “new security situation has emerged in the region.”

The army chief said that the new situation presents opportunities for Iran but also brings significant threats.

“The world is in turmoil, awaiting the establishment of a new order,” he emphasized.

Mousavi pointed to a shift in tactics by adversaries, noting their turn towards cyber warfare, informational tactics, economic battles, and incitement of disturbances.

Mousavi’s remarks were made at the 24th meeting of the Supreme Assembly of Commanders of Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps in Tehran, according to “Fars” news agency.

“At the present time, the chaos of the capitalist system, the growing trend of Russia and China's confrontation with the US, and the de-dollarization trend in global transactions on the one hand and the authoritative presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region on the other hand, have created suitable opportunities for our country,” he said.

Mousavi highlighted that, regionally, over the past four decades, Iran identified four primary centers of threats.

The first of these is the “US military presence in the region and its surrounding environment.”

The second he described as “threats from Israel, which for the past 75 years has embodied a source of conflict and war.”

“Over the past forty years, Israel has consistently been involved in conspiracies and malevolent activities against Iran,” noted Mousavi.

The third center of threat “relates to certain regional governments that have posed threats to Iran by fostering anti-security mechanisms and exhibiting costly behaviors.”

The fourth and final center is “terrorist organizations supported by the US and its regional allies.”

Mousavi believes that the threat against Iran today “has weakened compared to past decades.”

He added that “an effective regional defense model has been established to enhance deterrence against adversaries.”



Türkiye Insists on Two States for Ethnically Divided Cyprus as the UN Looks to Restart Peace Talks

UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart, center, Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, left, and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk as they attend the UN's end of year reception at Ledras Palace inside the UNbuffer zone in the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart, center, Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, left, and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk as they attend the UN's end of year reception at Ledras Palace inside the UNbuffer zone in the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
TT

Türkiye Insists on Two States for Ethnically Divided Cyprus as the UN Looks to Restart Peace Talks

UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart, center, Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, left, and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk as they attend the UN's end of year reception at Ledras Palace inside the UNbuffer zone in the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart, center, Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, left, and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk as they attend the UN's end of year reception at Ledras Palace inside the UNbuffer zone in the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Türkiye on Wednesday again insisted on a two-state peace accord in ethnically divided Cyprus as the United Nations prepares to meet with all sides in early spring in hopes of restarting formal talks to resolve one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Cyprus “must continue on the path of a two-state solution” and that expending efforts on other arrangements ending Cyprus’ half-century divide would be “a waste of time.”
Fidan spoke to reporters after talks with Ersin Tatar, leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots whose declaration of independence in 1983 in Cyprus’ northern third is recognized only by Türkiye.
Cyprus’ ethnic division occurred in 1974 when Türkiye invaded in the wake of a coup, sponsored by the junta then ruling Greece, that aimed to unite the island in the eastern Mediterranean with the Greek state.
The most recent major push for a peace deal collapsed in 2017.
Since then, Türkiye has advocated for a two-state arrangement in which the numerically fewer Turkish Cypriots would never be the minority in any power-sharing arrangement.
But Greek Cypriots do not support a two-state deal that they see as formalizing the island’s partition and perpetuating what they see as a threat of a permanent Turkish military presence on the island.
Greek Cypriot officials have maintained that the 2017 talks collapsed primarily on Türkiye’s insistence on permanently keeping at least some of its estimated 35,000 troops currently in the island's breakaway north, and on enshrining military intervention rights in any new peace deal.
The UN the European Union and others have rejected a two-state deal for Cyprus, saying the only way forward is a federation agreement with Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot zones.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is preparing to host an informal meeting in Switzerland in March to hear what each side envisions for a peace deal. Last year, an envoy Guterres dispatched to Cyprus reportedly concluded that there's no common ground for a return to talks.
The island’s Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides says he’s ready to resume formal talks immediately but has ruled out any discussion on a two-state arrangement.
Tatar, leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, said the meeting will bring together the two sides in Cyprus, the foreign ministers of “guarantor powers” Greece and Türkiye and a senior British official to chart “the next steps” regarding Cyprus’ future.
A peace deal would not only remove a source of instability in the eastern Mediterranean, but could also expedite the development of natural gas deposits inside Cyprus' offshore economic zone that Türkiye disputes.