Jerusalem Post: Conflicting interests: Iran confronts Turkey in Syria's Afrin region
The chances for a deepening crisis in Afrin are growing.
On Monday night, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan phoned Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. Sources fed local rosy statements to media about “cooperation in the fight against terrorist elements” and Rouhani said the two leaders discussed “plots to disintegrate regional states.”
But behind the scenes Iran is quietly opposing Turkey’s operation in the mostly Kurdish Afrin region in northwest Syria. Tehran is a key ally of Damascus but is reticent to confront Turkey, with which it enjoys amicable relations.
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Update #1: Afrin puts Turkish-Iranian-Russian mistrust on full display (Al-Monitor)
Update #2: Turkey and Iran face off in a new battle in Syria (Washington Post)
WNU Editor: Iran does not want to find itself in competition with Turkey on what happens in Syria .... and they certainly do not want Turkey to be a major player in deciding what happens in Syria when the major fighting dies down. But short of using their own militias to confront the Turkish military .... Iran's options on what to do in this case are very limited.
