Recent developments in the Middle East show that the Iranian Regime is becoming increasingly isolated as countries like Lebanon and Yemen are turning away from them but could this be the beginning of the end for Iran’s interventionism?
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri unexpectedly resigned in a shock conference from Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the month, only one day after Hariri met with Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs advisor of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, citing Iran’s malign influence over Hezbollah ( a terrorist group which has major sway in Lebanon) and a potential assassination plot.
He accused Iran of taking Lebanon hostage and making it impossible for him to carry out his duties as Prime Minister.
Just hours after this, Iran instructed it’s Houthi proxy in Yemen to fire an Iranian-built ballistic missile on Saudi Arabia- violating two UN resolutions; a sure sign that this announcement got to them. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir considered this a “direct military aggression” and possibly a declaration of war.
Iran, of course, denied supplying the missile or ordering the attack but the fact remains that the Houthis do not have the capability to build their own ballistic weapons.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called for actions against the rogue nation for their role in the missile attack, while the White House condemned the attacks; as did France and the United Kingdom.
It is also worth noting that the US has launched a whole new policy on Iran to target this type of regional destabilization and terrorism. This also included sanctions against Hezbollah, a well-known Iran proxy, for terrorism and using civilians as human shields, as well as sanctions to stop their international funding.
Human rights activist Heshmat Alavi wrote on Al Arabiya: “Iran enjoyed 16 years of highly flawed US policy across the region, providing it ample time to gain ample influence in four different Arab states of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. [But] become crystal clear for Tehran that times are changing.”
Indeed, with Donald Trump decertifying Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, and realigning with traditional US allies like Saudi Arabia, Iran is now feeling the pushback on their policies.
There are now further problems for the Regime emerging in the Middle East, with the Arab League’s scheduled meeting over Iran’s regional violations.
Alavi concluded: “This momentum must continue abroad and rest assured Iran’s regime is sensing the growing isolation.”
Source » ncr-iran