Dr Mohammed Al Sulami
After running out of diplomatic and political options to stop the Houthis’ coup in Yemen and warning Al Houthi and ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son Ahmed against advancing on Aden, and after President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi had requested the Gulf states to militarily intervene and save Yemen, Saudi Arabia and an Arab alliance responded. Force is the only language that the rebels in Yemen understand.
The Gulf states were trying to avoid military intervention in Yemen and had called for dialogue between the political parties, starting with the Gulf initiative and ending with hosting of the Yemeni dialogue in Riyadh, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the GCC
The rebels in Yemen refused the subsequent proposal by the Personal Representative of the UN Secretary General, Jamal Benomar, to move the dialogue from Riyadh to Doha, which proved beyond reasonable doubt that they rejected a political solution, perhaps because they are not the decision-makers, since this is clearly an Iranian project being carried out by the Houthis.
Operation Decisive Storm was kicked off to protect the legitimate government in Yemen and the lives of our brothers from the abusers.
Iran’s official position
Since the coup in Yemen is being paid for by the Iranian regime, many wonder about Tehran’s position on Decisive Storm.
At the official level, statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif have called on the countries of the region and the West to stop this intervention, which serves the interests of Al Qaeda in Yemen.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham, said that the use of the military option in Yemen, where an internal crisis and a war on terrorism are on, would further complicate matters, extend the crisis and end the chances of a peaceful solution to the internal crises. She also described the military operations as dangerous, contrary to international law and norms, and disrespectful to Yemen’s sovereignty.
On the other hand, the head of the national security and foreign policy committee in Iran’s parliament, Alaa Boroujerdi, said that the fire of war in Yemen would backfire on Saudi Arabia, calling for a halt to all military operations in Yemen.
Boroujerdi claimed that America was the mastermind behind conflicts in the region and had supported this attack.
In the coming days we could hear stronger remarks from politicians and military leaders and advisers of the Supreme Leader in Iran. Perhaps Tehran would deliberately attempt to exact revenge in Iraq or Lebanon to try to draw attention away from its resounding failure in Yemen.
Burnt cards
The Iranian statements show Tehran’s position with regard to the coup in Yemen.
Tehran is well aware of the strategic error that its political arrogance and ambition to expand in the Arab region have led to.
Iran knows that for now it will not be able to save its arm in Yemen, and maybe it won’t even think about that since the Houthis have become a “burnt card”.
In the next phase, it will try to maintain its influence in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
Iran doesn’t learn from its past mistakes and miscalculates the extent of Saudi and Gulf decisiveness when Tehran approaches certain red lines.
Iran was supposed to have learned from the events of 2011 in Bahrain, when it tried to control the country through its allies, but the surprise came when the Peninsula Shield forces intervened and thwarted the Iranian plan in hours; it is repeating the same thing in Yemen.
Lesson from Yemen for Iran’s followers
Iran’s abandonment of Al Houthi after it got him involved in a project that was doomed to failure is a warning to the rest of the parties and militias linked to Iran in the Arab world that Tehran will sacrifice them any time and leave them to fend for themselves after facing wrath at home and condemnation abroad.
This makes it imperative for pro-Iran groups that carry out Iran’s expansion in Arab countries to think carefully about their future.
The events of 2011 in Bahrain and in Yemen now should be lessons and warnings to them. They should get rid of the Persian garment that Iran has put on them not because it loves them or is trying to defend them, but to use them as tools to achieve its expansionist and revolutionary aims in the Arab neighbourhood.
National and regional doors are still wide open for those among our brothers and fellow Arabs deceived by Iranian illusions and promises. Political reform and rights cannot be gained through external coalitions that exploit those demands for the implementation of their political projects.
Political leaders in the Arab world should also fill the gaps that let Iran enter the Gulf and Arab worlds. They need to take action to strengthen national unity and social frameworks to achieve social justice, fight against corruption and firmly address sectarianism in the region; everyone should have a stake in the country and equal rights and duties.
The author is a columnist and political analyst specialising in Iranian affairs
