Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently attacked British Prime Minister Theresa May for her criticism of Iran because of the threat to security it represents in the Middle East. May said she was “clearly seeing” the threat posed by Iran on security in the Middle East because of its aggressive actions in the region.
Khamenei did not refute the statement of the British Prime Minister, and did not deal with it convincingly. He fled forward as usual, noting that “Britain had been the source of evil and misery (which happened) to the people of our region”, considering that the statement of Theresa May involves what he described as insolence!!
Khamenei knows that insults do not change reality, perhaps even confirm that the British Prime Minister’s remarks have touched a sensitive chord within the mullahs’ regime. It was better for him if he had only thought that his country does not play an evil role in the region to refer to evidence even if simple, of the “good” Iranian role in this vital region of the world.
Wisdom says that you can fool people for some time but it is difficult to deceive them all the time, and this fully applies to the mullahs, as they seem to realize they can continue practicing deceptive and insidious policies without being exposed, and that no one will reveal the cover they use for their destructive interventions in several Arab countries.
The Iranian leader’s reaction reflects a severe Iranian anger due to the recent convergence in the relations between the leaders of the GCC states on the one hand and Britain on the other hand, as the Manama summit was like a quantum leap in the relations between the two sides.
What I wanted to say that is that Iran relishes in the interference in the affairs of several Arab countries, either through direct coarse force or through its agents within these countries, or even through providing support and funding for schemes that negatively impact the internal situation of some Arab countries. But in return, Tehran feels very disturbed if it is exposed to criticism from a great state because of its flagrant interventions in several regional files.
Khamenei did not present anything to negate the comments of the British Prime Minister about the existence of indicators of the destructive Iranian role in the Middle East. She talked about what she clearly sees, as she literally said, while Khamenei contented himself by directing insults to her, only conjuring history, in the hope that history would perhaps intercede for his nihilistic talk in the eyes of his illusioned and deceived supporters.
Iran’s disastrous interventions in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen do not need evidence or proof, and the existence of such interventions does not get more known or more spread just because it was declared the Prime Minister of a major power. Iran is one of the reasons for the destruction of Sham because of its funding and mobilization of sectarian militias, fighting in those Arab countries.
Iran feels outraged by the new strategic partnership announced during the Manama summit, which was recently held between the leaders of the GCC countries and which the GCC British partnership was one of its lush fruits. This worries Iran a lot because it wants to continue showing off its troops in this vital region of the world, away from the eyes of the world and the major powers. It believes that its colonial scheme is going on in Syria in full swing, and that it may become closer to achieving its old-new dream in the region.
What is ignored by the Iranian side is that their plots are crystal clear, and cannot be hidden, and that it is impossible for the international community to remain silent about such plots. The supreme leader also ignores that Britain’s old role in the region, which he condemned in his statement, has ended decades ago, and there are many variables that have taken place since then.
I’m not in a position to defend Britain or another country, but I think that Iran is starting to lose its temper with each passing day of the remaining days for US President-elect Donald Trump to officially take office as President of the United States in the twentieth of January. Tehran is fully aware of his intentions and his hawkish orientations toward Iran, and it feels there are strategic transactions looming on the Syrian horizon specifically, and therefore it may seek to speed up its military plans in Syria and to try to achieve the greatest achievements possible on the ground before the advent of the new US administration.
Iran is also feeling a lot of pressure because of the positions of President Trump administration and his team, several members of which have been named so far, and almost all of them are hostile to Iran. They have deep experience of its maneuvers to escape international laws and commitments.
