Ahmed Ayash

By : Ahmed Ayash

Iran resorting to the “Death to America” slogan again – in what is considered by Fars news agency as rebuttal to the US threat of a “military attack” – demonstrates sign of things to come in the region. This will be a sea change from the US cozying up to Tehran following the nuclear deal agreement reached with former President Barack Obama.

Even Iranian President Rowhani, who is regarded as a reformist, affirmed in a speech marking the 38th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, that any nation threatening Iran would come to “regret” doing so.

Undoubtedly, the region is becoming more dangerous at a political level with prospects of the same turning confrontational. It is worth noting that the Iran’s is the only regime – regionally and globally – that has resorted to harsh rhetoric against Washington unlike other regimes which have been lashed by the Trump administration such as China and North Korea.

Even Syrian president Bashar al Assad has refrained from mentioning the challenges ahead of his Iranian ally. During an interview with Yahoo News he stressed that any conflict around the globe needs US-Russia rapprochement, which is intrinsic not just for Syria.

Iran’s is the only regime – regionally and globally – that has resorted to harsh rhetoric against Washington unlike other regimes which have been lashed by the Trump administration such as China and North Korea

Ahmed Ayash

Moscow’s approval

The Economist magazine portrayed a gloomy prospect of Trump administration seeking “grand bargain” with Vladimir Putin, which includes among other things Moscow’s approval to not cooperate with Tehran. However, the magazine casts doubt on Putin’s response with regard to this demand.

The region is certainly passing through a difficult phase as illustrated by Iran’s foreign minister. The so-called Shiite intellectuals league in Lebanon believe that the followers of their sect inhabiting the “crescent” stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, whether they agree with the Iranian regime or not, are within the radius of paying the price.

During a meeting with a group of Shiite “elites” there were cautionary notes related to the involvement of Shiites of Lebanon as a result of the Iranian regime involving Hezbollah in the Syrian conflict, which has necessitated a counter movement.

What if these developments lead to a confrontation in which the Iranian regime is defeated? Considering this scenario, there are those who believe that the Middle East will change immeasurably.

Changes will not instantly benefit opponents of this regime, who are collectively being classified as the followers of the Supreme Leader, as long as his tone continues to be loud. It is hence their responsibility to calm the turbulence.

Ahmed Ayash is a writer for An-Nahar newspaper. He tweets @ahmadayash3.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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