Attack on Iran and escalation in Afghanistan Caliber.Az weekly review

The editorial team of Caliber.Az presents the latest episode of the Events programme with Murad Abiyev.

Iran – Israel – US

On the morning of February 28, Israel carried out what it calls a preemptive strike on Iran, followed by successive waves of attacks on strategic targets in the Islamic Republic, including government buildings, the presidential complex, intelligence offices, and facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as military and nuclear sites. Later, it became known that the attack is being conducted jointly by Israel and the United States—or, to be more precise, by the United States in coordination with Israel. The US Department of War has dubbed the operation “Epic Fury.”

On February 27, US President Donald Trump stated that he was dissatisfied with Iran over Tehran’s position in nuclear negotiations. Interestingly, he said this against the backdrop of news that Iran had agreed to give up all its enriched uranium stockpiles, making a significant concession compared to its previous stance. Already this morning, Trump issued a statement declaring that the US armed forces had launched a major combat operation in Iran.

It is clear that the United States has set a definite goal: to overthrow the theocratic regime in Iran. It posed too great a threat to Israel. In addition, Washington is keen to gain control over Iranian oil, which would give the US an extra lever of influence over both China and Russia. Moreover, as we mentioned in the previous episode, the Americans need a successful military operation in the Eastern Hemisphere to reinforce their image as a global hegemon.

It seems that the strikes by the allies are aimed at paralysing Iran’s military-political command. However, just a few hours after the operation began, Iranian missiles were already fired toward Israel and US military bases in the Middle East. It is too early to judge the effectiveness of these strikes. The situation is developing rapidly, and by the time this broadcast airs, significant events may have occurred. Caliber.Az will, of course, cover their scope and impact in its reports.

Pakistan – Afghanistan 

Meanwhile, just days before the US-Israeli strike on Iran, a conflict erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Kabul and Kandahar province, stating that the attacks were in response to an “unprovoked shelling” by Afghanistan, which had killed Pakistani military personnel.

The escalation marks a new spike in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have worsened since the Taliban came to power. Islamabad accuses Kabul of supporting radical groups operating on Pakistani territory.

Experts note that the latest Pakistani strikes are particularly significant, as they directly target Taliban government infrastructure for the first time, potentially signalling a shift of the conflict to a new level.

It is possible that New Delhi played a hand in provoking Kabul against Islamabad, seeking to weaken its long-standing rival. Here, it is perhaps relevant to quote Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who said that “the Taliban have turned Afghanistan into a colony of India.”

Azerbaijan

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev took part in the opening of the Memorial Complex dedicated to the victims of the Khojaly genocide in the city of Khojaly. The head of state emphasised that Azerbaijan itself achieved justice — restoring its territorial integrity, punishing the war criminals, and demonstrating to the world the strength of its will and its army.

The tragedy of Khojaly cannot be erased from our memory. At the same time, peace with Armenia is truly not far off, and cooperation and mutual understanding between the countries and peoples are gradually being restored. However, this does not mean erasing everything that happened from memory. On the contrary, remembering this tragedy — without excessive emotion or hysteria — will allow relations with Armenia to develop on a new, pragmatic basis. For preserving memory, it was particularly important that the memorial was built on the very land of Khojaly.