The gloves are off. Not content with boasting that it controls certain Arab capitals and using militias to destabilise others, the Islamic Republic of Iran has passed the point of no return by directly interfering in Saudi Arabia’s internal affairs.
The kingdom is a country of laws that must be respected by all regardless of their sectarian affiliations and in a region fraught with danger, Saudi’s zero tolerance for terrorists and those inciting people to violence regardless of whether they are Sunni or Shi’ite, should be applauded. Nimr Al Nimr, a Shia cleric, admitted his crimes and is seen on videos whipping up violence and sedition. He was tried in a court of law and sentenced just as the others who received the same fate. There was no sectarian bias involved when the other 46 individuals were Sunnis.
Condemnation from Tehran rings hollow when it has been accused by human rights groups of being on a hanging spree. Just last month, a woman was sentenced to death by stoning. Since the so-called moderate President Hassan Rouhani took office, more than 2,000 prisoners, including Sunnis, have been hanged (700 last year alone).
Many are cruelly pulled up by their necks on cranes where their bodies are left dangling for all to see and there are reports that some have taken up to 20 minutes to die. In March, 33 Sunni men were on death row and six were executed for “enmity of God”, a charge Amnesty International says was fabricated.
As Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir revealed last week, the Iranian authorities organised shifts of thugs to storm and torch the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashad ignoring repeated requests from Saudi diplomats for protection.
This goes against all diplomatic norms and proves once again that Iran is a pariah state and an unfit partner within the community of nations. Iran’s lawless character has not changed since the days of the American embassy siege that endured for 444 days in 1979. Authorities stood by as a mob attacked the British Embassy in Tehran in 2011.
This blatant infringement of Saudi sovereignty was compounded by rhetoric from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who arrogantly tweeted, “Divine revenge will seize Saudi politicians” as though he believes he is God’s mouthpiece; in itself blasphemous. Iran’s foreign ministry warned the kingdom would pay a high price for its actions, a threat which cannot go unanswered.
Such vicious statements and behaviours can be construed as an act of war. For sure Khamenei has encouraged Shi’ite communities in Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain to take to the streets in protest and galvanised his Lebanese puppet Hassan Nasrallah to spout fiery anti-Saudi rhetoric.
I am sad to say that this incident raises questions as to where the loyalties of Arab Shi’ites lie. Is their prime allegiance to the countries which bore and fed them or to the ayatollahs in Qom?
I have long warned that Iran is the greatest threat to Gulf states and I was reassured that Saudi Arabia acted firmly and decisively to cut diplomatic relations and all other ties with Iran. Al Jubeir hinted that others should do the same. I could not agree more. Now is the moment for all GCC states to show their solidarity with a member country when times are rough.
Our ultimate goals should include the liberation of Al Ahwaz (Arabistan) from Persian occupation and its Arab majority from repression, poverty and denial of religious freedom. Iraq and Lebanon should not be abandoned to Iranian flunkies who make obeisance to Ayatollah Khamenei. Saudi Arabia has donated billions of dollars to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces yet no amount of fighter jets or weapons can be a substitute for courage and love of country.
Lastly, I would reiterate my call to the decision-makers within the GCC and beyond to cut diplomatic and trade relations with the region’s biggest sponsor of terrorism and its Arab proxies. Any country spewing threats or trying to teach us how we should deal with terrorists, posing a grave danger to our people and our very existence, is an enemy that must be shunned and isolated at every level. Let us have the courage to prove to the Saudi government and people, with more than mere sympathetic words, that they are not alone.
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