Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif sent a message to its neighboring Persian Gulf states, warning that they can no longer rely on the U.S. for protection and must begin working with Iran.
“A sincere message to our neighbors: Trump’s gone in 70 days. But we’ll remain here forever. Betting on outsiders to provide security is never a good gamble. We extend our hand to our neighbors for dialog to resolve differences. Only together can we build a better future for all,” Zarif tweeted.
What exactly “a better future for all” would look like according to Iran’s leadership was not specified, but Zarif’s statement displays a clear threat to Arab nations currently in partnership with the U.S. or to those considering to do so.
The message implies that if neighboring Arab nations do not turn their allegiance to Iran and continue turning to the U.S., there will be consequences.
This allegiance refers to a number of the Arab states normalizing relations with Israel through the Trump administration’s brokering of the Abraham Accords in September of this year.
President Trump and his son-in-law and adviser on the region, Jared Kushner, have numerous times confirmed that there are a handful of additional Arab states that are interested in joining the pact as well, including regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.
“Iran has had a continuous policy, which is the policy of good neighborliness,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.
This statement is unsupported by the Iranian regime’s history of funding terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah.
Within the last year, Iran launched a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia through Shiite Houthi proxies in Yemen.
In 2018, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked Kurdish dissidents in Iraq as a signal to Iran’s adversaries.
After the Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015, “Iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal, and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq,” President Trump remarked earlier this year.
Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Iraq’s Badr Party are now following the IRGC’s leadership by strengthening ties with China, indicating that Iran will offer peace to Arab nations at the cost of allowing Iran to lead the region.
“It is still time to step back from our failed policies and the inhumane legacy of the United States and the charlatans and bankrupt people who are advising the current U.S. administration. We are looking closely at the actions and careers of the future U.S. administration,” said Khatibzadeh.
“We have to rely solely on ourselves, and the only solutions are indigenous.”
“We hope [neighboring nations] reach the rationale that we need a local mechanism in the region. Iran is always ready,” stated Khatibzadeh.
