Risks of Iran nuclear deal collapse
Al ArABIYA
We can sense fear in statements made by Iranian
officials and most recently President Hassan Rouhani who warned against
the consequences of the big scheme’s collapse – the reconciliation
agreement with the West based on the nuclear deal signed during the term
of former US President Barack Obama.
The Congress shocked the Iranian government
when it reinstated a number of economic sanctions on Iran, and US
President Donald Trump insisted on his stance that the nuclear agreement
serves Iran more than the US, threatening to abolish it.
Countries of the European Union (EU) are keen
to preserve the agreement, which they believe it ushered in a new phase
with the Iranian regime. Since signing it, they rushed to seal huge
trade deals with Tehran, a move that was previously not possible because
the US government would have put any European company that dealt with
Iran on the blacklist.
Most provoked
Arab states, especially Gulf countries, were the most provoked by this agreement.
They were neither against sealing a deal that eradicates the Iranian
nuclear danger nor against dealing commercially with Iran but objected
over its high cost – extending Iran’s powers via fighting in Syria,
Yemen and Iraq and threatening other Arab states.
In case Iran considered that imposing
sanctions abolishes the nuclear deal then it will resume uranium
enrichment, renewing tension. Iran
offers the West two options: its nuclear project that will threaten the
West and Israel in the future, or being allowed to have hegemony over
the region.
Tehran used the second option as a weapon to
blackmail the West: Obama’s administration struck with it a deal that
only aims at halting its nuclear program, allowing it to enjoy its
powers in several areas, including those that the US considers as
interest zones such as the Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The new Iranian threats against the US economic sanctions must be taken seriously because they trigger Iran’s way of imposing what it wants via violence and chaos
Abdulrahman al-Rashed
Significant progress
Yet, Iran’s commitment to ceasing the nuclear
project is a significant progress that makes Iran worthy of the removal
of economic and commercial sanctions. But Obama’s administration went so
far in its concessions and allowed Tehran to wage wars, for the first
time and in a direct manner, even in states not lying on its border such
as Syria and Yemen.
The nuclear agreement is partially responsible
for the region’s chaos. There are more than 50,000 extremists fighting
in Syria – directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and
brought in from various countries at the time when the international
community was endeavoring to get rid of extremist groups such as ISIS.
Because the nuclear agreement was negotiated discreetly between the Obama and Rouhani teams, the region hasn’t been aware of its details until recently – the Obama administration left behind it a dangerous mine. Iran has become more aggressive after signing the agreement, this is evident.
Disrupting the project
The deal might succeed in disrupting the
nuclear project for another decade but it has fueled a more dangerous
war in the Middle East and posed an unprecedented level of threat to
regimes since the revolution in Iran in 1979. It also reinforced extremists in Tehran.
The new Iranian threats against the US
economic sanctions must be taken seriously because they trigger Iran’s
way of imposing what it wants via violence and chaos. But the US relapse
in Syria represents a huge tactical mistake because Syria is where Iran
can be besieged and obliged to cooperate regionally and
internationally.
This article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat.
______________________________
Abdulrahman al-Rashed is the former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq al-Awsat’s sister publication, al-Majalla. Throughout his career, Rashed has interviewed several world leaders, with his articles garnering worldwide recognition, and he has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today. He tweets @aalrashed.
______________________________
Abdulrahman al-Rashed is the former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq al-Awsat’s sister publication, al-Majalla. Throughout his career, Rashed has interviewed several world leaders, with his articles garnering worldwide recognition, and he has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today. He tweets @aalrashed.
