If US strikes, Iran will certainly retaliate – Malek Dudakov

Americanist Malek Dudakov spoke to Alpha News about the likelihood of a US military strike against Iran.

“Unfortunately, it must be said that such a scenario is quite realistic. As we can see, the US has currently deployed a very large military force in the Middle East. They now have 7–8 destroyers and several hundred Tomahawk missiles, which could be used to strike military targets inside Iran. In other words, the US has the military-technical capabilities to carry out such an operation,” Dudakov said.

According to the expert, more than 70% of Americans oppose escalation, fearing that a lightning strike could turn into a prolonged campaign.

“For now, I believe everything depends on the lack of political will, because we see a serious split within the Trump administration. American society is strongly opposed to new escalation. Any public opinion poll shows that more than 70% of Americans are against escalating the conflict with Iran. This issue is extremely unpopular and certainly will not earn Trump points ahead of the congressional elections. Moreover, there are concerns that a lightning strike on Iran would not lead to a collapse of power, and then everything could turn into a drawn-out campaign with mutual strikes, making it difficult to defend US bases.

The US is also facing a serious air defense crisis: many of its long-term reserves have already been spent in Ukraine and during Israel’s twelve-day war with Iran. In this situation, American bases in the region could be destroyed if Iran responds forcefully to US actions. And the Iranian leadership is showing that, while they are willing to negotiate with the Americans, if attacked, Iran will certainly retaliate. I think much depends on how the negotiation process between the US and Iran develops. We saw talks in Switzerland, where the sides agreed to continue dialogue and exchanged positions. The process will go on. If a diplomatic breakthrough can be achieved, conflict may be avoided. For now, the Americans are taking a convenient position, using the carrot-and-stick approach: negotiations on one hand, and an aircraft carrier group on the other,” Dudakov said.