site.btaVucic: Middle East Conflict Marks End of Respect for International Law, not WWIII

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he does not believe that the strikes against Iran and the conflict in the Middle East mark the beginning of a Third World War, but rather that "we are witnessing something that is a new era in which no one will care about international law anymore," the news agency Tanjug reported.

In an interview with pro-government broadcaster Informer TV, Vučić said Iran has little chance of defending its territory in the medium or long term and that the attack was long prepared and organized, involving a major military buildup around the Persian Gulf. He added that he had "some semi-official information" from a third country beforehand and that the strikes did not surprise anyone.

He expressed the view that the United States seeks regime change in Iran and is acting according to a plan similar to what it carried out in Serbia.

"All of this is being done as it was in Serbia - they kept lying the whole time that it was a humanitarian catastrophe, while the essence lay in two things: one was regime change in Belgrade in 1999–2000, and the other was the essence of NATO’s entire action - gaining independence for Kosovo, that is, separating 14 percent of Serbia’s territory and granting independence to that territory. So here we are talking about an attempt to take full power in Iran and to 'turn' Iran, as they would say, toward Western values, and that completely changes the global economic picture," Vucic said.

"With this, Trump achieves his goals - not always in the way he has stated, but he achieves them. Of course, all the other powers that claimed to be great are proving not great enough compared to the United States," he added.

In that context, he said, one can also look for the reasons behind Russia’s withdrawal from Kosovo.

"But I cannot speak about that publicly — not because someone could refute me, but because I would not want to jeopardize relations between Serbia and the Russian Federation or any other country. As a small country, we have always been the subject of bargaining, like all other countries, and of course it will always be as the Americans want. In any case, we must enter into strategic dialogue with the Americans and make important decisions in our relations with them," Vucic said.

Commenting on Europe’s reaction to the attack on Iran and its claim that Iran should never have had nuclear weapons, Vucic said he does not know which "God, under international law, is authorized to decide who has the right and who does not" to have nuclear weapons.

He stressed that he understands how people in Israel feel, because they are genuinely afraid (of Iran) and therefore expect such developments.

He said he understands Israelis’ fears of Iran and stressed that while every loss of life in the UAE, Iran, Israel, and elsewhere is tragic, the political consequences will be far-reaching for the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and the wider world.

He also noted that the political consequences of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran will be felt because, if U.S. plans are realized, the room for maneuver will narrow for both China and Russia, which, he said, "will lose another friend after losing influence in Syria, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Armenia, and Azerbaijan".

Vucic stated that at this moment Serbia must preserve its freedom, independence, and peace, while at the same time strengthening its defense capabilities.

He also announced that within the next two or three months he will inform the public about the acquisition of some of the most powerful air defense systems in the world - "systems Serbia has never even dreamed of having".