Middle East Allies See Heightened Peril in Newly Empowered Tehran. Do you think their concerns are valid?

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 17:50:02 -0400

Even in the final months of talks to peacefully resolve the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, events across the Middle East showcased the acrimony between Washington and Tehran. The United States dispatched warships to the Persian Gulf, backed Saudi airstrikes against Iranian allies in Yemen and struggled to keep American air power from unintentionally helping Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria.

Despite Arab fears that the deal, announced on Tuesday, signaled the start of a rapprochement between Iran and the United States, it appeared unlikely to immediately alter the violent reality in the Middle East. There, America’s closest allies, namely Israel and Saudi Arabia, remain Iran’s most committed foes, and many in the national security establishment continue to see Tehran as an adversary that needs to be contained, with force if necessary, despite talk that the deal might eventually pave the way for greater cooperation.

“Regardless of there being an agreement or not, Iran will continue to be a malign influence across the region,” Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., nominee to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a Senate confirmation hearing last week.

The deal poses new challenges for the Obama administration. Just as President Obama faces a domestic political fight, his administration must also placate allies in the Middle East who fear that Iran will use the economic boost of sanction relief to ramp up support for its militant proxies.

News of the deal has provoked sharp reactions across the Arab world, where most major players are closely allied with or supported by either Shiite Iran or Sunni Saudi Arabia, and any gain by one is seen as a loss by the other. In that context, many saw the American haste to reach a deal with Iran as a sign of a shift away from its traditional allies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/15/world/middleeast/middle-east-allies-see-heightened-peril-in-newly-empowered-tehran.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

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Response by SSG Izzy Abbass made Jul 15 at 2015 6:01 PM

SSG Izzy Abbass — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 18:01:13 -0400

Honestly, the way I think we reduce the danger of conflict is to actually have dialogue with them. I know both Israel and Saudi Arabia are not keen on this but I don't think we can take a page from either of them on how to manage relations. Just saying.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Jul 15 at 2015 6:30 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 18:30:42 -0400

It's like a family picnic where everyone hates each other, and everyone really hates Iran (& Israel).

No matter what deal we came up with, no one would be happy.

I "think" the State Departments goal was a couple more years of "relative stability" including as much "oversight" (aka spying) as possible, which turns this into the next Administrations problem.

Response by MSgt Manuel Diaz made Jul 15 at 2015 8:08 PM

MSgt Manuel Diaz — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 20:08:16 -0400

Yes

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jul 15 at 2015 10:31 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 22:31:11 -0400

Absolutely yes. We have not only failed to constrain Iran's ambitions but also empowered and, even worse, emboldened them. Even worse, if the agreement is implemented, we will release enough funds for them to easily enhance their nuclear weapons development.