Iran doesn’t look for ways to coexist with Arabs; instead it chooses confrontation. It is surrounding you from all sides, its revolutionary cells eating away at your home front culturally, financially and in other ways.
It is working to protect the families and members of those cells while you are busy quarrelling with each other.
This is clear from the way you hunt down anyone who expresses his opinion or calls for comprehensive reform, even through peaceful means.
Look at your communities; how many detainees from the opposition are in your prisons? Compare that with the number of those detained for corruption, crimes, theft of public funds or wasting public money. You will definitely find that the number of detainees from the opposition is double that of others.
Our great leaders, allow me as a citizen who loves this part of the Arab world, especially the GCC countries, to alert you to the danger the coming days carry for you. You must hear my cry when I tell you that “you are wasting opportunities.” Iraq, Syria and Lebanon were lost, and now Yemen is in the same track, and I think Manama will be next after Sana’a.
In broad daylight, Iranian tanks, troop carriers, rocket launchers, heavy artillery and Iranian Revolutionary Guards are roaming the land of Iraq under the leadership of Iranian General Qasam Soleimani, the real ruler of Iraq. Iranian drones protect these troops, and the planes of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) support them; and you are part of this coalition!
Their first goal is to destroy Tikrit and whoever lives in it. This will be followed by the destruction of Anbar, a place in Iraq that represents historic conflict between Arabs and Persians. All this is happening while you stand and watch.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said last week at a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry: “Iran is occupying Iraq.” However, he didn’t mention what’s coming next.
How about the borders of Anbar, which touch Saudi Arabia? The deep trenches, barbed wire and minefields at the border will not hinder the Persians, who gained lots of experience during the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq.
In Syria, they are working alongside Hezbollah, which is trained for wars in cities, mountains and even deserts. They are preparing for a confrontation that will happen very soon, I believe, in the Gulf. That is if we do not take the required measures to stop the Iranians from advancing from Anbar to Saudi Arabia and oppose their plan to control Iraq.
Anbar also touches the borders of Jordan, a strong GCC ally if we deal rightly with it.
Iran’s dominance of this part of Iraq definitely poses a threat to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait. So, is there a plan to stop the military and sectarian expansion of Iran in the heart of Iraq and into neighbouring countries, and to prevent the mass extermination of the inhabitants of Anbar in revenge against Arabs, in particular Iraqis?
In Yemen, to the south of Saudi Arabia and on the borders of Oman, the pace of events is accelerating. Iranian planes land in the airports in Sana’a and the question is what do they carry?
The answer is clear: They carry soldiers and volunteers to surround Yemen. They carry weaponry and military equipment of all types to support the Houthis in their mission, which is to control Ma’rib, Shabwah, Al Jawf and all mineral resources in the south and east of Yemen.
Allowing the Houthis to receive more Iranian volunteers and soldiers will complicate the situation in Yemen and stoke a long war in the country.
Yemen’s streets are surging with masses who reject the Houthi coup, even in Sana’a, the home of the Yazidis. The masses need to manage this human flood objecting to the Houthi-Iranian dominance. The GCC countries must agree on a strategic and swift plan to bring down the Houthis and whoever supports them from within and outside.
It is not enough to arm tribes and support them financially to take on the leaders of the coup in Sana’a. We have done this in the past and it wasn’t fruitful.
It is worthwhile to pay attention to the youth of Yemen, who were able to bring down the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh, cancel the Gulf initiative and strengthen what remains of the government that moved to Aden.
This does not mean we should neglect the tribes, but we should not bet on them.
Yemeni tribes suffer from poverty. From past experience, I fear that the tribes will be with you during the day and with the Houthis and Iranians at night, because both sides will pay them money.
Leaders of the GCC, let me tell you that your divisions give victory to Iran and the Houthis. Reports indicate that all records of talks between the Yemeni political parties, including the team of Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthis, with the other Yemeni parties move every day at sunset to return with directives to a Gulf counterpart, who in turn conveys them to Saada and then to Sana’a. This is a betrayal the Yemeni people will not forgive this GCC party for.
It is the duty of all GCC countries not to let their hostility towards the Muslim Brotherhood to extend to the Reform Party in Yemen. The latter is a political Islamic party whose project is to reform Yemen. I invite all parties to cooperate with this force, which is a political entity with tribal status. Ignoring it as a force against the Houthis and their expansion is a terrible strategic mistake.
There are two weeks left to sign the “general framework agreement” of Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran would seek from now till the end of June to expand geographically at the cost of the Arab world.
Iran aims to convince the West that only it can protect Western interests in the Middle East, and that it will be the biggest and strongest ally of the West in the region.
The Obama administration wants to boost the chances of the Democratic Party in the next elections by telling American voters that it did not wage wars and kill American youth. Also, it was able to eliminate terrorist leaders such as Osama bin Laden and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons without a war. And it is serious about preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
In conclusion, if you want to eliminate Al Qaeda in Yemen, then destroy the reasons behind its presence, namely the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh.
