Will Iran and Turkey confront each other in Syria?

An expert on Middle Eastern affairs in Iran believes: “As Iran, Turkey, and Russia intend to advance a large part of their policies through diplomacy at the Astana talks, the possibility of a discord between Turkey with Iran and Russia to enter eastern Euphrates and the collapse of Astana talks is unlikely.”

Following Trump’s decision to pull US forces out of Syria, Turkey is getting ready to invade eastern Euphrates and Manbij to confront armed Kurdish militants. In return, the Syrian army responded positively to demands of help by the Kurds to stop the Turkish intrusion and Iran also supported the Syrian decision.

The question arises as to what extent will Iran and Turkey get involved in the Syrian issue with respect to their different approaches on eastern Euphrates and whether this will lead to the collapse of the Astana talks?

Dr Rahman Ghahremanpour, expert of Middle Eastern affairs in Iran, told Persia Digest (PD) in an interview: “The chances of a confrontation between Iran and Turkey is highly unlikely; because they have accepted, together with Russia, to advance a large part of their policies on Syria through diplomacy at the Astana talks. If a crisis arises in Syria, the three countries will try to exchange views in the first instance, as they did in Idlib when most people believed that this area was on the verge of a big assault. Talks between Iran, Russia, and Turkey at the Tehran conference stopped a war in Idlib, even though the Russians were not very keen on the solution.”

He added: “The three countries have also always endeavored to orchestrate their actions on eastern Euphrates and PKK controlled areas. Turkey even announced that it will consult with Russia about the possibility of its troops entering Manbij. Nevertheless, a settlement between Trump and Erdogan is worrying for Iran and Russia - like an agreement to replace Turkish troops with US troops; although there is no evidence of such an occurrence to date. There is also some talk about an agreement between the Kremlin and the White House. In any case, Syria is currently going through a transition which leads other countries to act with caution.”

Souce: Persia Digest