The removal of a U.S. missile defense system from Turkey is perplexing and may be a way of cozying up to Iran in the wake of the recent nuclear deal, retired Army Gen. Paul Vallely and Clare Lopez, vice president for research and analysis for the Center for Security Policy, tell "Newsmax Prime" on
Newsmax TV.
"The reason they were put in in 2013 was a service air capability giving the Turks there an inch to look for Air Force space and capability to take down Assad's Air Force, because remember Assad took out one of the Turkish jets and that's what precipitated this battalion going in," Vallely said Monday to host J.D. Hayworth.
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"I don't know why they're taking them out. I mean they've been really of no effective use over there. They haven't been used with 300 soldiers there with this battalion. There's no problem in taking it out as I see.
"But … it's all tied into the Russian-Iran-Assad nexus there and we're playing from the outside now, but now we're trying to cozy up to not only Russia but Assad and Iran. It's a crazy situation at best."
The Patriot missile system deployed near Turkey's border with Syria will end when its mandate expires in October, it was revealed over the weekend by U.S. and Turkish authorities. They added that the air-defense could be returned to Turkey within one week if needed.
The missiles were initially deployed to protect Turkey after shells fired from Syria there.
Lopez told Hayworth:
"There are a lot of curious circumstances occurring at the moment and yeah this is suspicious timing. If I had to take a guess at it, I would think it might have something to do with the current deal on the table between the United States and Iran.
"These patriot missiles are designed to take out their missile defense system, designed to take out other missiles. Those missiles are probably not coming from ISIS … I suspect this has something to do with the Iran deal."
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