The US Is Pleased with the Recent Tensions between Iran and the Arabs

IRD: If we trace back history, Iran’s ties with the Arabs have not been very good. The neighborhood necessitates that Iran’s relations with member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council be relatively better than they currently are. DuringI the Iran-Iraq war, relations were not good due to the regional countries’ support of Iraq. And in general after the Iranian revolution, Arab countries accused Iran of agitating specific groups in their countries in order to export the revolution.

The events that occurred in Saudi Arabia in 1366 led to the murder of Iranians and a cutting of ties. Another example is the events in Bahrain in relation to the Hashemite groups. So, during Iran-Iraq war, Persian Gulf countries supported Saddam Hussein and Iran's relations with the member countries of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council were not good. The only country that had a normal relationship with Iran at that time was Oman.

After the Iran-Iraq War and during the presidency of Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's relations with member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council became normal. During the presidency of Khatami, tension-reduction in foreign policy was a priority and Iran's relations with Arab countries of the Gulf Council grew deeper and much improved.

The OIC Summit held in Tehran, and the presence of senior officials of these countries, was a manifestation of the improvement of relations with the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.

However, the recent events in the region and the concerns of many countries, particularly the recent events in Bahrain and Iran's response to the presence of Saudi forces in Bahrain (and the reflection of Iran ‘s protest in the positions of the Gulf Cooperation Council), represent changes in the relationship. To justify their military actions in Bahrain, these countries are trying to associate the popular peaceful uprising of the people of Bahrain in pursuit of freedom and their rights to ran’s agitation in order to have some kind of legitimacy for military intervention. Naturally, there will be negative consequences to each step.

The Kuwaiti act of accusing Iran of cooperation in an espionage plan in the country was responded to by Iran, and it announced three Kuwaiti citizens as undesirable elements. This series of events caused Iran's further strained relations with the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.

These new events are important factors in the relationships. This means that these Arab countries are likely to dismiss Iranian workers, for example, or Saudi Arabia might impose prohibitions and restrictions on Iranian pilgrims. It is likely that there will be tension in the relationships between Iran and the Arab countries of the region.

The US, with a dual policy; in Libya on the one hand and in Bahrain on the other hand, brings up a few points: first, it should be noted that in case of Libya, the Congress and the American people oppose events like those in Iraq and Afghanistan through which US troops are deployed abroad.

Therefore, the US preferred that NATO deal with the issue of Libya and its actions be considered as the implementation of the Security Council resolution, as the Security Council considered Qaddafi’s actions as crimes against humanity and war crimes, and requested the International Criminal Court prosecutor to handle the case as an international crime.

So, the US considers NATO’s action in Libya in connection with the implementation of the Security Council’s resolution, and attempts to not to be viewed as the primary mover of the operations in Libya because US public opinion is not favorable on  US  military operations overseas.

In Libya, domestic interests take priority, but in Bahrain, it is different, and other issues are important to the US. The US knows well that the issues and protests in Bahrain were not provoked by Iran, as even stipulated by the US defense secretary. However, the US cannot ignore Saudi Arabia’s position on this issue.

However, the possibility that Bahraini Shiites take power is considered very dangerous and unacceptable to the Saudis because it is believed that this could cause Saudi Shiites in the oil-rich region of al-Ihsa to attempt to change the situation in their country. The US also needs Saudi Arabia as an ally in the current situation in the Middle East.

Moreover, the US Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, and the US does not want a situation to arise in relation to the US presence in these countries, or any disruptions in the US presence to occur in the Persian Gulf. Hence, the developments in Bahrain are decided with more careful attention.

Besides, it should be noted that the outcome of the recent events in Bahrain is Iran's strained relations with the Arabs, with which US is undoubtedly pleased. The US tried to highlight the danger of Iran in order to mobilize Arab countries against Iran. Now the series of events have led to a situation desirable to the US. In fact, these new events form the foundation for the tension between Iran and the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.