NATO shot down a second ballistic missile over Turkey, launched by Iran. The Islamic Republic accused Europe of escalating the conflict.
"If we are looking for logic in Iran's retaliatory strikes and, accordingly, in the desire to expand the scope of hostilities - then with regard to Turkey there is no such logic. "Turkey is the only country in the region that, in addition to opposing Israel, was the country that tried to mediate between Iran and the European countries participating in the nuclear negotiations," said former Defense Minister Angel Naydenov on the program "Denyat ON AIR."
He added that Turkey did not allow the use of bases on its territory to launch strikes against Iran.
"There is no logic in the strike against Turkey with the second missile. We can assume that it is the product of a technical error, violated coordinates, an error in the navigation system, but it is a fact that the maritime components of the anti-missile system are the ones that once again shot down the missile," Naydenov pointed out to Bulgaria ON AIR.
Ankara with a categorical statement after the strikes
"There was a sufficiently sharp reaction from Turkey in the first case. Turkey continues to show restraint regarding military actions against Iran. I do not know how far this limit of patience is. Since 2012, radar systems have been deployed on the territory of Turkey. In 2013, interceptor missiles were also deployed", commented the guest.
Iran has a new spiritual leader
"The election of Mojtaba Khamenei does not bring prospects for a quick end to the war. The American president called it "unacceptable". He was declared a target by Israel," reminded the former Minister of Defense.
Is a direct clash between Iran and NATO possible
"I do not expect NATO intervention in the hostilities, nor direct intervention in attacks by European countries. Iran has so far launched strikes with over 3,000 missiles and drones on its neighbors. In second place is Israel with half as many strikes - 20%. Next are Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Iran's strategy is to expand the scope and punishment of countries that have provided territory for the deployment of American military facilities and bases. The goal is to create chaos", Naydenov believes.
Both the US and Israel emphasize that we are already in the second phase of hostilities, he noted.
"Now we are proceeding to strikes that will be much larger in scale, inside Iran. The main target will be warehouses, missile storage sites, drones. I do not see preparations for a ground operation," Naydenov said.
Is there a risk to Bulgaria's security
"Zapryanov categorically said that the planes are not participating in the conduct of hostilities. On the other side of the airport is the "Vrazhdebna" military base. "There is some connection between what is happening. I agree that they are not convincing, but at the moment we have no reason to believe otherwise. There are risks that need to be monitored and analyzed," the guest analyzed.