On 26 July, Iran accused Bahrain of “creating a climate of tension” in the Gulf region, after the Bahraini authorities revealed details of a captured shipment of weapons originating from Iran intended for a terrorist group in Bahrain which had received training by Iran. Iran’s accusation of creating tensions is particularly surprising given how much effort Iran has been making in almost every state in the region to stir up tensions and unrest. Let’s look at a few examples…
Iran’s sectarian cleansing in Iraq makes a bad problem worse
Iranian-backed Shia militias have used the pretext of fighting ISIS to force Sunnis out in hundreds of villages and towns across central Iraq. Iran’s policy is to establish a permanent hegemony over Iraq. In this respect, Iran is a bigger long term threat to regional stability than ISIS.
Iranian leaders should be tried for genocide in Syria
Iran has the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians on its hands. Iranian weapons and tens of billions of dollars of Iranian support allowed Bashar al-Assad to remain in power and continue the war against his people. Iran’s proxy Hezbollah and Iranian operatives have been directly involved in massacres.
Iran has facilitated and supported a number of terrorist groups
Iran gave arms to terrorists in Afghanistan to cause instability and strike back at the Americans. Iran and Al-Assad allowed ISIS to take root in Syria. Iranian intelligence has established links with terrorist groups across North Africa and Iran has been known to host Al-Qaeda operatives and other extremists who can serve its purposes.
Iran’s media apparatus incites sectarian bloodshed
Iran funds numerous propaganda media outlets in Arabic, English and other languages like Al-Alam, Press TV, Al-Mayadin and Al-Manar. These channels spread lies about events in the region, incite communities against their leaderships and spread sectarian tensions.
Iran is sponsoring instability across the Gulf
In Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and elsewhere, Iran has incited militant sectarian groups to engage in acts of terrorism and wage war against the state.
The model for such proxy groups is Hezbollah, which effectively functions as a state within a state and has long resulted in Lebanese politics being beholden to Iran.
Iran exploits proxies to force control over Arab states
Iran’s leaders have openly boasted that Yemen is the fourth Arab country to fall into Iran’s hands – after Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. Iran has supplied arms, funds and training to the minority Houthi rebels in Yemen allowing them to gain control over large areas of the country.
Iran’s foreign policy is a consistent one of exploiting weaknesses in national security in states with Shia or pro-Iran communities. Iran then sends arms, trains militants, provides advisors and uses all means at its disposal to extend its control.
Iran is a major exporter of arms to extremist militias
Iranian weapons have been smuggled through Sudan to dozens of African states, where they often sold to extremist groups fighting their governments and spreading anarchy. Numerous Iranian operatives have been arrested in African states for smuggling arms. This phenomenon is widespread enough to see that this is a systematic strategy designed to extend Iranian control over weak states and profit from bloodshed.
No nuclear deal at the expense of regional security
Netanyahu is wrong and should be ignored: If a deal can be reached that prevents Iran possessing a nuclear bomb and avoids a war – that is good. But such a deal should not let Iran off the hook on a whole range of other crimes it is perpetrating across the region.
Leading figures in Arab states have warned that a deal with Iran would lead to them demanding similar rights in support for the development of nuclear programmes.
The Islamic Republic is nobody’s friend
Iran may strike up tactical alliances with entities which temporarily share its interests. However, Iran’s foreign policy of aggressively expanding its interests and achieving regional hegemony is incompatible with the interests of all civilized states. Iran should not be treated as an ally. The US should not see Iranian militias as a means of waging war with ISIS on the cheap; and the world should be alert to Iran’s opportunistic strategy of destabilizing the region wherever it can gain a foothold.