Military conflict in Iran raises a number of legitimate concerns and risks - defense minister

RIGA - The military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran raise a number of legitimate concerns and risks, Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Progressives) said in an interview with TV3 on Wednesday.

As a small country, Latvia has always advocated for a global system based on international norms, but the developments in Iran raise the question whether all activities there have been fully in line with these norms, said Spruds.

Latvia always wants the West's support for Ukraine to continue, and in this context, too, it is a fight for respect for adherence to rules-based international order, which in the case of Ukraine has been violated by Russia, the minister emphasized.

It is evident that US international focus has not been on Europe alone for some time, and it is now very clear that US military activity will be concentrated in the Middle East, which means that Latvia and Europe will have to mobilize even more to support Ukraine, said Spruds.

Responding to a question what US President Donald Trump's recent rhetoric against Spain and Great Britain - which he has criticized for insufficient support for his Iran campaign - indicates, Spruds acknowledged that there were certain disagreements between NATO politicians, yet he does not believe that NATO as a whole could become weaker.

It is currently difficult to say whether the developments in Iran and its retaliatory strikes across a wide range of countries could lead to the activation of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, as NATO leaders would still have to assess the severity of the military incidents and whether they could be considered as an attack on the alliance.

The United States' main objective at the moment is to destroy Iran's military resources, but Spruds does not believe that the United States is willing to escalate the conflict to the point of deploying ground forces in Iran.

The security situation in the region is deteriorating, which also affects Latvian soldiers deployed in small numbers on missions in Iraq, Lebanon and Israel, who now have to observe stricter security measures, said Spruds.