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Iran Chose the Wrong Path

Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, Originally posted in Arabic on July 31

No one in the Arab world denies the right of the Iranian leadership to pursue its national goals and bring the Iranian nation to great achievements and success. The problem is that, so far, Tehran attempted to fulfill these goals at the expense of its Arab neighbors.

Teheran had two ways to promote its national ambitions: the first is through positive interaction with its neighbors in the region and potential allies in the Gulf. This would have entailed mutual cooperation, trust, and promotion of shared interests.

The second is through open conflict, marked by an attempt to become a regional hegemon that defies others’ foreign rule. Unfortunately, Teheran chose the latter path.

It extended its influence into Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, and Palestine – by funding and training opposition groups that undermine the local regimes. It exacerbated sectarian tensions in Iraq and in Syria, in order to weaken them and increase its own control. It sponsored and supported revolutions from North Africa to the Levant – all in order to see its Arab neighbors fail.

What the Iranians do not seem to realize, however, is that the Arab world may be weakened; but it will not die. Moreover, Iran fuels the same sectarian tensions that exist within itself, thus making it vulnerable to its own devices.

We must not be complacent in our fight against its ploys, but we should also remember: The Iranian national project – as we know it today – carries the seeds of its own destruction. It will not last.  – Omar Ali Hassan