By Yang Zhongjie

Recent strategic game between the US and Russia in the Middle East has continued to escalate, with the two sides engaging in a fierce fight over military and diplomatic issues, according to foreign media reports. As they continue to pay more attention to the Middle East, the confrontation across the board in the region may further escalate in the future.

US shows muscles in high profile manner

The US said that to support its Afghanistan drawdown, it has dispatched six B-52 bombers to the region and moved the HIMARS weapon system from Kuwait in early May. The Pentagon also plans to deploy the USS Reagan aircraft carrier stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, to the Middle East again, according to US media reports on May 26.

Since the death of Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in January 2019, tensions in the Persian Gulf have kept a US aircraft carrier in the area. According to the deployment data from the Association of the United States Navy, the numbers of US aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East and the Pacific in 2020 are largely the same, which demonstrates the strategic focus of the US military in recent years.

Russia makes a reciprocal response

Russia has recently taken multiple measures to respond forcefully in response to the above-mentioned US showcase of strength.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on May 25 that it had deployed the Tu-22M3 long-range bombers to Syria, which can break through the southern wing of NATO and threaten the European hinterland. The deployment will not only have a significant impact on the balance of power in the Mediterranean region, but also play an important strategic deterrent role. At the same time, the Russian military released a video of the Tu-22M3 long-range bomber flying with a Kh-22 long-range anti-ship cruise missile. At present, the second runway of Hmeymim Air Base has been upgraded and transformed, able to carry out the take-off, landing and maintenance of various types of aircraft. This news aroused great concern in the US and Europe.

In terms of diplomacy, Russian officials expressed their intention to provide a platform to hold talks in Moscow to mediate the Palestine-Israel conflict. Regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow calls on the US and Iran to take simultaneous measures to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear agreement.

The confrontation might escalate

Overall, during the Trump years, relations between the US and the Middle East countries had been rocky. At the same time, Russia has continued to take the initiative on the Middle East issue, and the trend of "Russian advancement and US retreat" in the Middle East region has become more and more obvious. The military game between the US and Russia in the Middle East might further escalate in the future.

On the one hand, multilateral military games are also probably continue to heat up. The US is likely to continue to strengthen its military deployment in the Middle East, increase public opinion pressure on Russian on the Middle East issue, and use the anti-terrorism war as a gimmick to win over Middle Eastern allies and the Syrian opposition, so as to contain Russia's regional influence. Russia may actively use military and non-military means, traditional and non-traditional elements to enhance its influence and voice in the region continuously.

On the other hand, intervention in regional affairs may become more profound. In general, the Biden administration is trying to get the US Middle East policy back on track and regain its dominance in the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian nuclear issue will become the key topics in the US-Russia diplomatic rivalries in the Middle East, with Israel being a key factor dictating power politics. As a recent article in the US Foreign Affairs magazine pointed out, the US may fall into an inevitable conflict if the Biden administration does not adopt serious and frequent diplomatic measures to contain the power of Israel and Iran. The "shadow war" between Israel and Iran may turn into an open conflict at any time.