Fall of Iran's Islamist regime can be huge defeat for Russia and China – former US congressman
He stated this in a comment to Ukrinform.
"This would be an enormous defeat for Russia and Putin, especially given the supply of Shahed drones — even though they're making them, the Iranians are highly involved in the production process and delivery of parts," he said.
Ritter noted that on a global level Iran and its allies have already suffered defeats.
"Yeah, that's just one item, but the whole global picture — they lost. The Russians lost in Syria, and that was basically through Iran. Iran was badly defeated in the 12-day war with Israel, the proxies are weak," Ritter said.
He stressed that the consequences of changes in Iran go beyond the region.
"This would be a defeat for Russia, and I think a defeat for China as well, because Iran, Russia, and Venezuela are supplying China with oil, and China is supplying manufactured products back to those countries — all kinds of manufactured products, including major dual-use, military-capable equipment," Ritter noted.
According to him, the current geopolitical situation resembles a "big chess game".
"The Maduro extraction was the first step," he said. "The issue of Cuba, while not receiving that much attention, is on everybody's near horizon. A change of power in Iran would shift the global balance of power tremendously."
He added that Iran is a country with a population of 92 million and possesses vast oil and gas reserves.
Ritter emphasized that changes in Iran could create opportunities for democratic forces and open the way for the country to reorient toward the West, which would be of strategic importance for the security and economy of the region and the world.
As Ukrinform reported, Ritter believes that the United States may resort to limited military strikes against key elements of the Iranian regime, in particular its propaganda infrastructure and the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in order to strengthen the position of the protest movement in the country.
