Posted on » Thursday, July 12, 2012
Gulf Daily News - Abu Mohhamed- edited to fit the 4000 character long rule.
The Middle East's security situation in general, and the GCC countries in particular, has never been as precarious as it has been during the last couple of months.
At the centre of the quandary lies Iran's bellicose stance on its controversial nuclear programme and Israel's threats to bomb Tehran if it doesn't stop its activities.
While every country has the right to develop nuclear materials for peaceful purposes such as energy, the programme should be under the scrutiny of the nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency.
This is a great security and safety threat to neighbouring countries and beyond.
Despite the fact that Iran has signed and ratified the NPT, it has failed to live up to its international commitments.
This implies not only its non-commitment to international standards when it comes to the safety of its nuclear materials, but also increases suspicions that it is seeking to build nuclear weapons, which could fall into the wrong hands.
These two factors alarmed the international community and forced it to take strict measures, including sanctions and an economic embargo, against the Iranian regime - not to mention the possibility of military confrontation.
However, the regime continues to defy international pressure and went on flexing its muscles by testing long-range missiles allegedly capable of hitting US bases in the GCC and Israel.
The US responded by sending more military hardware and personnel to the Gulf.
So what we see now is a military build-up in the area, with added threats by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which much of the world's oil passes.
Several meetings to contain the situation, particularly Iran's nuclear capabilities, have taken place to no avail.
Future meetings will unlikely hold water either, given Iran's stubborn approach.
On top of this, its support for the Syrian regime and alleged interference in the internal affairs of Yemen and Bahrain further isolates Iran and makes it a 'pariah state'.
It seems that as long as the current Iranian regime remains, chances of a breakthrough are remote.
Indeed, some pundits are considering a regime change as a viable political option to bring peace to the region.

Abu Mohammed
Mostly well said, however I take acception with a couple things. Iran and Afghanistan are not failed missions, and there is overwhelming support for a military attack on Iran in the USA. These are topics on their own which require lengthy discussions which would better be saved for another time.