Standing united to thwart Iran’s designs

The words used by the new United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to describe Iran speak volumes, offering that Washington is deeply concerned by Tehran’s “destabilising and malign activities”. How very true. And that is exactly how we, living on this side of the Arabian Gulf, view the Iranian regime’s determined efforts to spread unrest and division from the Bab Al Mandab to the Mediterranean.

In its deliberate and purposeful pursuit of hegemony and spreading its sectarian agenda, the regime in Tehran has courted and promoted proxies to do its bidding across this region. In Yemen, it has armed Al Houthi rebels to the teeth, providing them with sea mines and sophisticated missiles, casting our Arab brothers into a mire of misery. In Iraq, it unduly influences government and events through its support of armed militias, and in Syria, its money and materials of war have enabled President Bashar Al Assad to remain in power to do his worst. And in Lebanon, from its base in south Beirut, Hezbollah pulls the strings on orders from Tehran.

Across the Gulf too, Iranian operatives are at work, assisting terrorists in Bahrain, and spreading subversion elsewhere, meddling in the internal affairs of nations who see Tehran and its Revolutionary Guards for what they truly are. And that is why Pompeo’s words on Iran are truly welcome. But words alone are not enough now to deal with the cancerous spread emanating from Tehran. Pompeo’s boss too has grave reservations about the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme. And yes, it is flawed, and doesn’t go far enough to curb the meddling ways of Tehran.

Simply put, it is now time for Iran to be held to account for its activities, and for the leadership there to be reined in. Let’s not be fooled for a single moment either — when the so-called ‘moderate’ regime there of President Hassan Rouhani was signing that deal to end sanctions with one hand, it was handing out missiles and weapons with the other. Remember too, the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen is there on foot of United Nations Security Council resolutions — and Tehran’s arming of Al Houthis is a deliberate snub to the letter and spirit of those resolutions.

No more support for militias. No more missiles and no more meddling. Tehran needs to remember that the framework of the former sanctions aligned against it are still largely in place. The choice is simple; change its ways in a real and tangible manner, or face full ostracisation and isolation.