Al-Jazeera, Saudi Arabia, Originally posted in Arabic on July 25
Since the signing of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West, much has been said and written about the abandonment of America’s allies in the Gulf. One Palestinian journalist went as far as saying that now, with the rise of Iran, Gulf politicians will willingly become Teheran’s “string puppets.”
What this journalist is forgetting, as well as many others who rushed to announce the demise of the Gulf, is that everything in our region is driven by interests. In fact, not just any interests, but the interests of Israel. American foreign policy in the Middle East is so closely coordinated with Tel Aviv’s agenda, that we are likely to see Washington doing whatever it can to prevent nuclear proliferation in the region.
So far, everything is going according to the plan: Iran halts its nuclear program, while Israel maintains hers. Not much more than that is known to us. The mullahs’ attempt at portraying themselves as victorious – backed by the Muslim Brotherhood – is yet another sign of America’s success.
In addition, we must not forget the government in Tehran is facing tremendous domestic pressure to alleviate the deteriorating economy. Any failure to do so could result in a massive public uproar.
We must stop evaluating reality based on words instead of actions. The United States could not, and will not, renounce its influence in the Gulf – one of the world’s most important sources of energy. It will also continue standing strongly by Israel’s side.
Any pundit who claims otherwise, undermining the future of the Arab Gulf, is simply irrational or naïve. – Ahmad al-Faraj