From collective security to singular crisis-mongering
Iran’s trio islands test of UAE’s rationality
By Ahmad Dastmalchian
Iran’s former ambassador to Lebanon
Since the inception of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the immediate aftermath of the triumphant Revolution, the cardinal tenet of its foreign policy has been the expansion of fraternal, amicable, and goodwill relations with neighboring states, particularly the Arab governments of the Persian Gulf. This policy, immutable and steadfast over four decades, has demonstrated, in pivotal regional junctures, Iran’s profound valuation of peace and stability among adjacent nations.
Notwithstanding such goodwill, for years, certain Arab states of the Persian Gulf have endeavored, through gratuitous provocations instigated by the United Arab Emirates, to vitiate these amicable relations. By promulgating incendiary communiqués concerning the three Iranian islands and asserting an illusory sovereignty thereupon, the UAE strives to dismantle the constructive and convergent milieu cultivated among regional countries. Such comportment neither aligns with the tenets of international law nor accords with geopolitical realities. The UAE must apprehend that it fundamentally lacks any locus standi for advancing such claims.
Iran vigorously upholds its territorial sovereignty, having incontrovertibly demonstrated, during the Iraqi-imposed war, its refusal to capitulate even against a formidable international coalition comprising the United States, NATO, Arab states, and European countries. Nonetheless, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with unwavering fortitude, persevered. The UAE, which now adopts a posture of power-seeking aspiration through its statements, ought to assimilate these veracities.
The security of the Persian Gulf is indivisible. Should Iran’s security be imperiled, the security of no Arab state within the region shall endure. Security constitutes an interconnected whole; the destinies of all nations bordering the Persian Gulf are interwoven. Security is neither procurable by pecuniary means nor importable, and under no circumstance is it ensured by reliance upon the United States, the United Kingdom, or other extra-regional hegemonies.
For decades, Persian Gulf countries have disbursed billions of dollars to the United States, yet the corollary has been perpetual conflict, insecurity, extortion, and instability. Sustainable security has never been, nor will it ever be, engendered by the presence of foreign military forces.
The UAE has comported itself beyond its actual capacities in Yemen, Sudan, and even within regional political processes, adopting a malevolent role. Its actions have contributed neither to regional stability nor peace but rather heightened crises. The UAE, involved irresponsibly in numerous regional dossiers, now advances untenable claims regarding the trio islands as a stratagem to obfuscate its regional failures by inciting nationalist fervor.
Economic growth, advancement, and regional prosperity can only materialize through collective security. No developmental enterprise can flourish in an environment bereft of security.
The Zionist regime brazenly assails whenever it discernibly perceives an opportunity within the regional balance — be it in Syria, Qatar, or Lebanon. These acts underscore that absent unity among regional nations, the Zionist regime shall target each independently.
Recent visits by officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to Tehran epitomize a paradigm shift in regional perception. States have culminated in the conviction that security must originate intrinsically from the region itself, through neighborly collaboration. An emergent security order aims to diminish American influence and curtail Zionist infiltration into the Persian Gulf.
Regional countries have recognized that America profits from discord rather than stability. Hence, a regional security architecture predicated on trust, dialogue, and cooperative engagement must be established.
The UAE’s accession to the Abraham Accords has precluded its integration into collective regional security. The UAE has become excessively hubristic, mistakenly presuming it can enact a distinct role by reliance upon Zionists. This delusion is fraught with peril.
Conversely, Saudi Arabia has stipulated a critical condition for peace, cognizant that no enduring peace can materialize absent resolution of the Palestinian issue.
Should the UAE disregard regional realities, its presumptuous conduct shall ultimately rebound detrimentally. Singular security within this region is an impossibility; no nation can extricate itself from the collective security framework.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and all other regional states must, under these exceptional circumstances, advance towards direct dialogue and security cooperation. The Persian Gulf possesses the potential to become the most secure region worldwide, provided its countries abandon enmity and unfounded assertions, pursuing instead the paths of rationality and convergence.
The full article first appeared in Persian on ANA.