From Yemen to Lebanon, in Syria and Iraq, Iran has unfurled its political tentacles to interfere in the affairs of states, sowing sedition, sectarian strife and undermining the legitimate sovereign authority of governments — all in an attempt to influence affairs according to Tehran’s agenda. And here, in the Arabian Gulf, Iran’s revolutionaries have attempted to meddle and mastermind acts of violence and sedition.
Throughout its years of isolation from the international community, amidst sanctions applied for Tehran’s unbridled ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon, the regime in Tehran continued to support its dark forces across the region. There was a hope that once brought back into the international fold, and with the burdens of sanctions lifted to improve the conditions of everyday Iranians who pay the price for these misadventures, that the government in Tehran would cease its meddlesome ways. But that hope has faded.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has now slapped 18 Iranian individuals and groups with sanctions for their activities in helping spread sedition. The sanctions are being imposed on those who have helped Tehran develop its non-nuclear weapons programmes — activities that allow the regime to spread its agenda from Yemen to Lebanon. These individuals and groups have helped Iran develop a drone programme, obtain naval equipment from its all-too-accommodating allies in Ankara, or a China-based network that has helped Tehran obtain electronic systems for overt military ends. Taken together, the threats posed by such non-nuclear weapons programmes are significant. Would Al Houthi rebels, for example, be able to hit vessels supplying humanitarian aid with missiles if such sanctioned individuals had not engaged in their clandestine activities for Tehran? It may be a moot question, but shows the potential for such weaponry if Iran is indeed allowed to act unchallenged.
These sanctions send a clear message to Tehran that it will not be allowed to interfere and instigate beyond its borders. There is a need to hold Tehran to account, to ensure its malign activities in supporting sectarianism, terrorism and ballistic missile programmes and other rights abuses do not go unnoticed, unopposed and unpunished. Failing to do so will merely embolden the regime in Tehran. These sanctions serve notice that the watch continues and the world won’t be fooled by Iran’s duplicity when it comes to its meaningless words and menacing actions.
