Seyyed Reza Mirtaher told the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations that the US plan to deploy medium-range missiles, that is, from 500 to 2700 kilometers in East Asia, is aimed at creating an offensive capability against China, and it is highly probable that these weapons will have nuclear warheads.

He added that it would be the first arsenal in the region since the Cold War and was scheduled to be deployed there by 2024.

Mirtaher said that the withdrawal of the United States by Donald Trump in 2019 from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Missile Prohibition Treaty, which was signed in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union and which prohibited these countries from building and possessing ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometers has given the chance to the US government to deploy ground-based cruise missiles and medium-range ballistic missiles in Europe and other parts of the world. After the withdrawal of the United States from this treaty, this country quickly started deploying medium-range nuclear missiles, either cruise or ballistic, in East Asia.

This expert on international issues stated that the US believes that during the period when it was committed to the INF Treaty, China expanded its arsenal of intermediate-range missiles, and the Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military capabilities estimated that Beijing now has 1,500 missiles with a range of 1,000 It is 5500 km. He continued that China, as one of the world’s nuclear powers, has made very rapid and extraordinary progress in the field of designing, developing, and operating all types of ballistic and cruise missiles and has been able to create a wide range of these missiles with different range to develop from short range to continental.

Mirtaher said that one of the pillars of China’s military power in the Asia-Pacific region is its offensive missile power, which is deployed in land-based, sea-based, air-based, and submarine-based forms. Naturally, to create strategic equality with China in the Asia-Pacific region, the United States is trying, in addition to deploying conventional forces, that is, deploying about 60% of its naval power in this region, in allied countries, such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, etc. to deploy medium-range missiles in New Zealand and the Philippines.

This analyst of international issues noted that the United States considers not only China as the primary target but also North Korea as a country that threatens the interests of the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

He added that from Washington’s point of view, naturally, deploying these missiles by the United States in countries like Australia or possibly in Japan and South Korea can lead to China’s counter-reaction and increase tensions between the two countries.

He stated that the US is looking to use these missiles to deter China and for a quick response to a possible crisis in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea to target mainland China, adding that the US government claims that in recent years, China has increased its military capabilities to a very significant extent and with rapid growth, and is following the modernization process in the air and naval forces to an unprecedented degree; Among other things, we can mention the construction and operationalization of the third aircraft carrier, the construction of new bombers and transport planes, and the construction of at least two types of fifth-generation fighter planes for the Air Force and Navy.

Mirtaher added that very extensive measures in manufacturing and operationalizing all kinds of ballistic missiles, which, along with cruise missiles and even hypersonic missiles that China is developing, will significantly increase China’s offensive capability with the ability to project power. Naturally, the United States considers these conditions to conflict with its interests and those of its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, and it takes all kinds of measures to neutralize China’s moves to increase its military capabilities and disrupt the military balance in East Asia.

This international affairs expert explained that China would naturally take countermeasures against America’s actions and explained that these countermeasures could be the deployment of new missiles in the so-called frontline or border points In such a way that they can target American bases in the Asia-Pacific region, including Guam and American bases in Japan, South Korea, and even in Asia in the event of a military conflict between the United States and China.

Recalling that these movements will lead to the rapid militarization of the region, he said that although China uses all its geo-economic opportunities to overcome its geopolitical, geographical, and military challenges, Washington also regularly plays a role and expands its presence in the Asia-Pacific region and is trying to make China’s encirclement ring more comprehensive and expand over time.