Front Page Magazine:

As we speak, the humanitarian crisis in Iran is quite dire. Protesters seeking a free Iran have been massacred, tortured, raped and arrested en masse. There are reports that over 36,000 people have been slaughtered within a period of a few days. The death toll since the Iran protests began is likely much higher. Iran Human Rights has reported that at least 40,000 people, including children, have been arrested related to the crackdown on the Iran protests. Relatives who have come to collect the bodies of their loved ones have reported difficult signs of tortureon the bodies.

Meanwhile, the living conditions inside Iran are horrific. The BBC has reportedthat although the internet access has returned for some, it still remains tightly controlled and has left most of the country still cut off. How can the average Iranian in the bazaar conduct business under such conditions? Meanwhile, the inflation remains rampant, the economy is collapsing due to the regime’s mismanagement combined with crippling sanctions and widespread corruption, and average Iranians struggle to eat basic proteins, such as chicken and meat.

Given these existing horrific conditions, if the United States or Israel attacks Iran at this time, millions of Iranians will want to leave the Islamic Republic, seeking to cross over to either Turkey or Azerbaijan. From there, they will aspire to move to either Europe or North America. Given this scenario, the creation of a buffer zone may be an American interest and it may behoove Washington to sponsor such a buffer zone, which would be similar to the humanitarian buffer zone that was created in Iraqi Kurdistan in the past.

Along these lines, a recent article in Forbes Magazine argued that Washington should strengthen its presence along Iran’s northwest frontier in order to better navigate the chaos in Iran. The peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia already assisted Washington with this. However, the creation of a humanitarian buffer zone along the Iranian border would further advance such an endeavor.

A humanitarian buffer zone would not only be an asset to the Iranian people, but also to the American intelligence community, offering Washington the chance to keep its eyes and ears focused on Tehran. A humanitarian buffer zone along the Iranian border would also help Iranian opposition groups to organize and regroup, which would offer them a badly needed safe space as they struggle to topple the mullahs. This would help promote regime change in Tehran, without going in and doing a full-scale invasion of the Islamic Republic.

South Azerbaijani dissident journalist Ahmad Obali also supports the creation of such a buffer zone, claiming that it could be used to help offer humanitarian relief to the Iranian people and would be an asset to Washington as well: “The humanitarian buffer zone should go from the Azerbaijani border deep into Hamadan, from just west of Tehran all the way to the Turkish border. This is the South Azerbaijan region. It should definitely be a no fly zone and there should be no armed activity from the Iranian regime’s side.”

He added: “This is a large area that can definitely host millions of refugees and internally displaced persons. I think that the US and the West should contribute financially, politically and even militarily until everything is settled inside of Iran, which will permit the refugees to return. We expect for the US to be a leader in enforcing the buffer zone and help the public in Azerbaijan in handling the coordination. In this way, the Republic of Azerbaijan would not be under so much pressure to house and handle millions of refugees.”

The same can be true of Turkey. They face the same difficulties that Azerbaijan faces in handling millions of refugees. In sum, a Washington-led buffer zone is a win-win for everyone and should be established at the soonest possible date.

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-need-for-a-buffer-zone-along-irans-turkish-and-azerbaijani-borders/