There is many a slip between the cup and the lip in Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran “does not intend any aggression” against its neighbours, at a time when the UAE announced that had seized an Iranian-made drone laden with explosives in Yemen.
The complete disparity between Iran’s actions and words has become the norm as Arab leaders continue to sound the alarm to the international community of the dangers of leaving Iran’s regional ambitions unchecked.
The United States and its allies have been demanding that Iran curb its ballistic missile programme, but have taken little concrete action to clip Iran’s wings.
Iran has long been accused of seeking to dominate the Middle East through the expansion of proxy forces — not only in Yemen but in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well.
In Yemen, Iran-backed Al Houthis have been armed to the teeth by Iran — despite numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions against such actions. Al Houthis have, in turn, used these weapons not only against pro-government forces in Yemen, but also against Saudi Arabia, which is leading an Arab coalition fighting in Yemen to restore the internationally recognised government that was toppled in an Al Houthi coup three years ago.
Thousands of missiles have been fired into Saudi territory during this time — most have, thankfully, been successfully intercepted by anti-missile technology. These ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of civilian-inhabited areas. The intention was to cause the maximum number of casualties.
The complete disregard by Iran of international law has become something that can no longer be tolerated. Iran is crossing red lines and the nature of Al Houthi missile strikes has become more sinister and dangerous with more sophisticated weapons landing into Al Houthi hands.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to scrap the nuclear deal, which has only served to embolden Iran’s actions in the region. He has nominated critics of the pact to top positions in US administration recently, including Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State and John Bolton as National Security Adviser. This is a good step forward.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has warned that a direct war with Iran was inevitable if Tehran’s mischief continues to go unchecked.
A direct war between Saudi Arabia and Iran will spell disaster in the region and have enormous global repercussions. The international community must move fast enough to curtail Tehran’s nefarious designs before it becomes too dangerous to contain.
