live U.S. and Iran trade threats as World focus' on reopening Strait of Hormuz - Middle East conflict on 3 April
Iran has rejected claims it has been weakened, vowing instead “more crushing” attacks against the United States and ...
Iran’s nuclear ambitions continue to shape regional tensions in the Middle East, particularly among key powers such as Israel and Türkiye, according to political analyst Dr Zaur Gasimov.
Speaking to AnewZ from Istanbul, Gasimov said that while the interests of Iran, Israel and Türkiye diverge sharply across several theatres, including Syria and other parts of the Arab world, there are also limited areas of overlapping concern.
“The interests of Iran, Israel and Türkiye are different in many parts of the Middle East, in Syria and across the wider Arab world,” he said. “But there are also points of common interest, even if they are perceived very differently”.
Gasimov stressed that Iran’s nuclear programme remains the most sensitive issue, arguing that it cuts across regional rivalries and security calculations.
“At the end of the day, it is the nuclear issue,” he said.
“Iran’s programme does not correspond with the interests of any country in the region. It would dramatically change the symmetry of power and strategic potential.”
According to the expert, this concern creates a rare point of consensus among regional actors who otherwise compete for influence, adding that no regional power would benefit from a fundamental shift in the strategic balance.
He highlighted Azerbaijan’s role as a quiet intermediary, noting that Baku has for several years sought to facilitate dialogue between Israel and Türkiye amid fluctuating relations between the two states.
Gasimov argued that despite past crises, there remains untapped potential in Turkish–Israeli relations.
“There are chapters in the book of Turkish–Israeli relations that can still be deepened,” he said.
He underlined that sustained dialogue between Ankara and Jerusalem is essential for long-term regional stability, even if both capitals define peace differently.
“The dialogue of these two regional powers is essential for long-term peace,” Gasimov said.
“That peace is perceived differently in Jerusalem and in Ankara, but it ultimately comes down to what serves the long-term interests of both the Jewish state and Türkiye,” the expert concluded.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia's Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday, saying the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has sent a mid-level delegation to China for formal talks with Pakistan, as both sides meet in Urumqi amid efforts by Beijing to ease tensions between the neighbours.
Former Kyrgyz MP Shairbek Tashiev has been detained in a corruption investigation linked to state oil firm Kyrgyzneftegaz, as the case expands to include members of a powerful political family.
Afghanistan remains the third most affected country globally for unexploded ordnance casualties, with more than 50 people killed or injured each month, a United Nations official has said.
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile. The head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Israel’s nuclear capability should be “eliminated as soon as possible”.
Fresh Houthi missile and drone strikes on Israel mark a significant widening of the Iran-centred conflict, raising fears the Yemen-based group could open a new front. Their position near the Bab el-Mandeb strait also threatens global shipping and energy flows.
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