Iran is principal bad actor in Middle East and the biggest threat to regional security: outgoing US CENTCOM Chief

Jerusalem: – General Kenneth McKenzie, the outgoing Chief of US CENTCOM, announced, ‘Iran is the principal bad actor and the biggest threat to regional security. The United States will do all it can to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.’ Reports are being received that the United States and the other western countries are very close to signing the nuclear deal with Iran. In this situation, comments made by the Chief of US CENTCOM become significant.

Last week, diplomats from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, known as the E3 of Europe, announced that the Iranian nuclear deal would be completed soon. The United States and European countries indicated that the negotiations are in the last stages to finalise the agreement. But Russia lashed out that the nuclear deal cannot be signed with Iran without its support.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the sanctions imposed by the United States and western countries might come in the way of this agreement. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had dismissed the Russian claims. Blinken had said that there is no need to link the sanctions imposed against Russia given the war on Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal.

In this scenario, the outgoing CENTCOM Chief General McKenzie visited Israel. During the visit, General McKenzie met Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defence Minister Benny Gantz and the Chief of Defence Forces Aviv Koshavi.

Moreover, General McKenzie presented his stand on the Iran nuclear deal, Iran affiliated terrorist organisations in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. General McKenzie accepted that Iran poses a threat to the security of the Middle East.

General McKenzie clarified while speaking to an Israeli news agency that Iran is the main villain in the region. The CENTCOM chief underlined that Iran poses a threat not only to the security of the Middle East but also to the entire world and it cannot be trusted. But at this time, General McKenzie also briefly clarified the stand of the Biden administration regarding Iran. McKenzie said during the interview that the United States cannot stop the Iranian nuclear program but will make efforts to contain Iran. The CENTCOM chief said that the Biden administration has a similar stand regarding Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi and the Iran affiliated terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq. McKenzie informed that these organisations could not be stopped, but the Biden administration is trying to reduce their influence.

The statements of General McKenzie that Iran cannot be stopped, but the United States will make efforts to contain its activities clarify the pro-Iranian stand of the Biden administration. It was expected that General McKenzie would assert that Iran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances during his Israel visit. The Biden administration has given assurances in the past that Israeli security will not be allowed to be threatened. But statements of General McKenzie indicate that now the Biden administration cannot make such an assurance. Therefore, it is becoming clear that the void between the United States and Israel is increasing.