There is little doubt that now, with a hard-line US president in the White House, Iran’s main rivals for influence in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey, are feeling emboldened by the possibility of an America willing to confront Iran. The three countries have recently made harsh public statements against Iran, signaling that there could be a coordinated axis to push back against Iran’s positions in the Middle East.
After a number of comments by Turkish officials blaming Iran for spreading sectarianism in the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif answered back Feb. 22. In an interview with the Iran newspaper, Zarif said some regional countries have placed their hopes in Trump because their policies in the region have not been successful. When asked to clarify what countries he was speaking about, Zarif replied, “Those who support [the Islamic State] and [al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat] al-Nusra." Zarif dismissed the controversy at the security conference in Munich, Germany, saying that the anti-Iranian comments came from only three countries.
When pressed about significant Saudi and Turkish influence in region, Zarif said that while the two countries may have certain successes, their policies have failed. He noted that had their policies been successful, they would not be busy trying to sabotage Iran’s influence in the region, adding, “Sabotage is not normally the behavior of the strong.”
Zarif said that in the era of Trump, some countries are trying to present themselves as not being the problem while pointing the finger at other countries. He said that while issues with Israel are not new, “We did not expect behavior such as this from our neighbors.” Specifically in regard to Turkey, Zarif said, “We are sympathetic to the Turkish government [but] it seems our friends have short memories. They accuse Iran of sectarianism but they do not remember that for their government — which is not Shiite — we did not sleep during the night of the coup.” Iran and Turkey were reportedly in constant contact the night of the July 2016 coup attempt and Iran expressed strong support for the Turkish government.
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