File image.
Turkey is planning to establish a buffer zone on the Iranian side of the border if a worst-case scenario unfolds and the government in Tehran collapses, the Middle East Eye (MEE) reported on January 27.
The United States has been escalating against Iran since the start of the month over a wave of violent protests, and President Donald Trump who ordered the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, is reported to be considering serious military operations including a naval blockade and assassinations.
Turkey has been supportive of Iran, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even rejecting any foreign intervention in the Islamic Republic, but the latest report by MEE indicates that Ankara is preparing for the worst.
According to the news outlet, top Turkish foreign ministry officials on January 22 briefed lawmakers in a closed-door meeting at parliament, telling them that the country is preparing for several potential scenarios with regard to Iran.
One participant in the briefing told MEE that Turkish officials used the term “buffer zone” to describe Ankara’s intention to do everything possible to prevent another wave of refugees entering the country.
Another told the outlet, however, that the officials did not explicitly use the phrase “buffer zone”, though they expressed a willingness to go beyond the usual measures.
“Essentially, they said they believe everything possible should be done on the Iranian side to ensure that those who might come in the event of a migration remain there,” the second source said.
At the start of the escalation, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that it had strengthened security along its 560-kilometer border with Iran through a technologically enhanced physical barrier system. The system includes 203 electro‑optical towers and 43 elevator‑equipped towers, a 380-kilometer modular concrete wall, and 553-kilometer of defensive ditches.
The Turkish plan revealed by MEE mimics what the country did Iraq then Syria, where it established so-called “buffer zones” under the pretext of stopping immigration and countering the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group, in addition to ISIS.
Even if the government in Tehran collapses as a result of some U.S. attack, or a larger wave of protests, Turkey will not be able to establish a “buffer zone” in western Iran without a fight.
Kurds have a significant presence along the border line with Turkey, and they are guaranteed to resist. The majority of population in the Iranian Azerbaijan region is, however, made up of Azerbaijanis, who, being a Turkic ethnic group, could cooperate with Ankara. In fact, some Azerbaijanis joined the last wave of protests, which shows that not everyone there is pleased with the current situation.
The demographic makeup of Iranian Azerbaijan shows that Turkey may be worried more about Iranian Kurds establishing their own state, then illegal immigration. This was exactly what Turkey was worried about when it began to conduct operations in Iraq, and later in Syria.
It is highly unlikely that Turkey would withdraw after any intervention, even if a new government is established in Tehran. It also should be assumed that not just Turkey, but also Azerbaijan, would attempt to annex parts of western Iran, where some oil and gas fields are located, while the country is at its weakest.
MEE report will likely trigger a serious reaction from Iran. The Islamic Republic should, however, see it as a warning of what could happen.
The collapse of the government in Tehran could mark the end of the entire country in its current border, and even those who are currently showing support like Turkey, are likely preparing to capitalize on any intervention by the U.S. or Israel. If no agreement is reached with Washington, Iran will have no other option to survive as a country but to win the war, and quickly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
i swallow all persian and armenian jizz
turcii au chef sa mai ia niște pământ, petrol, gaze gratis.
china ➡️ taiwan
usa ➡️ greenland
russia ➡️ ukraine (old soviet union lands)
turkey ➡️ greek islands (old ottomand lands)
if turkey captures back and make free its ottoman islands aka greek islands,
turkey will be most visited tourism country within europe,
attracting an impressive 100,000,000 foreign sightseers tourists each year.
this is so called hypocrite muslim. they are the worst enemy of ummah then israel and us. never trust erdogon he is with us and alivey of azerbaijan he is pure zionist. he has to be thought a lesson.
go on rafik you can do it though them a lesson
turkey without sending living kurds from inside turkish cities to outside of its borders, same as armenians,
can not be a fully powerfull country.
kurds wants to create a kurdistan country, a state inside the turkey borders called big kurdistan.
sweet dreams.take it easy with tequila
the turks will definitely take any opportunity for a land grab.
americunts swallow turkish jizz
you all fell for the western propaganda.
first you thought, that iran will collaps like a house of cards, because western propaganda made you to belive so. but it turned out, that just some as 600 mossad agents were the main cause of some deadly riots. but no uprisings.
so don’t belive these nonsense. because irans government is build by its people by revolution. and it runs by it’s people who shut the rioters mouth quickly by millions standing up against the foreign rioters. nobody will dare such bullshit like turkeys wet dreams. because the revolution can quicky swap over to them.
“buffer zone” is the israeli words for expansion. if turkey does all the work to gift it to israel then the plan acceptable. the turkish people get to pay for it too !
turkey is and has been doing israels bidding erdogan is a zogbot and zog helper 100% and when they wear out their shabbos goy usefulness israel will go full revolution support for the kurds to dismantle turkey from within. turks dont understand this well enough. assad iran and even armenia and russia could have been their best ally. they chose neo ottoman colonialism and thats going to be their down fall.
why on h**l would turkey want more kurds and impoverished region of iran?
what iran has to offer?
1) kurds behind border. erdogan would rather cut his both balls, than getting even one more kurd in turkey.
2) shia muslim refugees. turkey is sunni
3) reformist refugees, who like to demonstrate. no middle-eastern country wants brainless revolutionaries.
territory expansion? turkey has 800k km2 land area. taking that land would increase turkish area by 0,1% (800 km2).