Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
The Iran nuclear deal has given us more questions than answers. Will our fears and concerns end or escalate further after the deal? Will the pact help the US and the West to come out of its conflict with the theocratic regime? We would also like to know if our region is being left alone to face its many conflicts, wars and escalating crises. Is the Iranian regime going to change overnight, forgetting all its practices and policies of over 30 years to raise a white flag and send pigeons of peace to the neighbouring countries?
Shortly after signing the nuclear pact, the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said that “this will not change our country’s policy to confront the US administration’s arrogance, and our support to our friends in the region, including the peoples of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain”. Does this mean that after the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen billions, Iran will buy weapons and equipment to re-export them to its allies in the region? At the same time, GCC states, Israel and Turkey will arm themselves more, bringing a new phase in hostilities that can result in a redrawing of the map and borders after the Sykes-Picot.
Opinion is mixed about whether the West has knelt before Iran or the mullahs have accepted the deal to save the Islamic Republic.
The key question is whether the agreement will reinforce Iran’s position and make it a new policeman in the Gulf, enabling it to maintain its influence in the four Arab capitals. Or, will its regional expansion be scaled back with the victory of the moderates over the hardliners to transform itself into a multiparty and democratic system that believes in peace, coexistence and tolerance? The fact is that Barack Obama, while seeking personal glory by clinching a deal, has ignored decades of differences with Iran and avoided addressing all conflicts, sectarian wars and the regional unrest. The Obama administration has also ignored Iran’s support to armed militias and its violations of human rights to come out with a scrawny pact that will only delay Iran’s nuclear acquisition for another 10 years.
Is there light at the end of the tunnel? It seems we will have to wait for some miracle for things to change. How can we count on the prudence and wisdom of Iranian leaders and expect them to turn a new page in relations with its neighbours considering that it has invested in these destructive sectarian conflicts for over 30 years?
The Peninsula
