Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 3 / Trend T. Jafarov /
Iranian General's words about Iran's readiness to strike NATO missile defense facilities are a political step to put pressure on Turkey, professor of international relations and head of the School of Management and International Relations at the Durham University (Great Britain) Anoushirvan Ehteshami told Trend on Friday.
"I think that Iranian general's threats in regard to NATO missile defense system in Turkey are political steps to put pressure on Turkey," he said. "If Iran feels a threat to its security, the strike on NATO missile defense system in Turkey is the last thing that Iran can do, if it is forced."
On Dec. 1 Turkey sent a protest note to Iran over the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh's recent statements about readiness to strike NATO missile defense facilities in Turkey.
Last week Hajizadeh said Iran is ready to strike the NATO missile defense facilities in Turkey if Tehran faces threat from the U.S. or Israel.
During an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Syria in Jeddah on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi discussed this issue.
Salehi said Amir Ali Hajizadeh's statement does not correspond to Iran's official position.
The expert from Saudi Arabia Ismail Yasha thinks that Iran's threats against the NATO missile defense facilities in Turkey are not convincing.
"The recent tension between Iran and Turkey was caused by the situation in Syria," he told trend over phone from Jeddah. Iranian official's statement is a threat."
The experts said that despite the tensions between Iran and Turkey, economic and political relations between the two countries will remain at the same level.
"Iran and Turkey cooperate in economy at a high level," he said. "Both countries are interested in maintaining cooperation at this level."
"I think that the economic and political relations between Iran and Turkey will develop," he said.
Despite Turkey's friendly attitude towards Syria, the Turkish President criticizes Bashar al-Assad's actions against the protesters and puts pressure on the leadership of this country. But official Tehran supports Bashar Assad's policy to resolve the crisis and assesses the situation as interference in internal affairs.
He thinks that Iran and Turkey try to protect their rights in regard to Syria. But Iran's attitude to this problem will be pragmatic and, ultimately, it will put pressure on Bashar Assad.