As a Gulf citizen, I reject Iran's unprovoked attacks on the GCC

After Israel launched a military attack on Iran on 28 February, the United States also followed just hours later. Iran responded by launching missile strikes and drone attacks on Israel. But it didn't end there.

Iran's response extended to armed attacks against the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which left many citizens in those countries fearing for their lives following the damage and loss of life that took place. There was no warning, and certainly no justification for these actions.

The Gulf states that were attacked have rightly condemned the Iranian assault on their sovereignty. Nevertheless, some of those states failed to condemn Israel's attack on Iran, the very trigger for the recent chain of events.

Statements that were issued by the Gulf countries differed in terms of the language used to describe Iran's actions - a distinction that was politically telling. For example, some used the word 'aggression' in their political discourse, while others went with 'targeting'.

In my opinion, 'aggression' is more suitable a term because it represents an unprovoked armed attack by Iran on the sovereignty of states it maintained diplomatic relations and neighbourly ties with. These countries were not at war with each other.

Even amid disputes with Iran, these states did not resort to violence to restore sovereignty over the Arab islands occupied by the Shah on 30 November 1971.

Historically, Iran also occupied a sovereign Arab state in 1925, namely the State of Ahwaz, known as “Arabistan”. Gulf Arab states did not raise their voices in support of Arabistan's independence demands, nor did they host its students in their universities or schools, out of consideration for Iran's sensitivities and a desire for good neighbourly relations.

They even accepted the term “the Gulf” instead of using the historical name “the Arab Gulf” in accommodation of Iran. Unfortunately, Iran interprets the absence of demands, the lack of action to liberate the aforementioned islands, and the absence of assistance to Arab populations in western Iran seeking to restore their Arab state, as nothing more than weakness.

The political leadership in Tehran justifies its attacks on Gulf Arab states by claiming it is targeting US bases in the region, although those bases were not used to launch attacks on Iran. Rather, the attacks originated from US aircraft carriers in the seas and the Indian Ocean, not from residential towers in Bahrain, which were among Iranian targets, nor from a radar station in northern Qatar, nor from the US base in the far southwest of Qatar. There is also no US military base at Dubai Civil Airport.

I am convinced that Gulf states possess advanced capabilities enabling them to inflict political, military and economic damage on Iran under the principle of self-defence. However, these Arab states have acted more rationally in dealing with their Iranian neighbour.

Oman was again among the targets of Iranian attacks despite serving as a mediator between Tehran and Washington to reach an understanding that steered away from war.

Qatar also acted as a sincere advocate for Iran in international forums and mediated Iranian-American issues, achieving outcomes in Iran's interest. Nevertheless, these efforts did not spare Qatar, noting that this represents the second attack on Qatar by Iranian authorities without substantive reasons.

The US administration behaves like a raging and savage bull on the international stage. It abducts the president of a sovereign state and his wife from their bedroom and detains him, even though Venezuela is not at war with the United States.

The administration also attempted to insult an Arab monarch, its guest, before global television cameras without any justification. It bargains over the sovereignty Ukraine, in favour of another state, and launches armed war against Iran under shifting justifications.

These included dismantling its nuclear programme, toppling the regime in Tehran, punishing it for killing Iranian protesters who opposed them, and finally declaring the elimination of Iran's missile programme as an objective.

In truth, the primary goal of the US president is to satisfy Israel in pursuit of victory in the upcoming by-elections in November.

The GCC states should collectively reconsider their friendships with certain countries, including Iran and the United States. Gulf states maintaining relations with Israel should also reconsider those ties, or they risk regretting it in future.

Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here.

Mohammed Saleh Al-Mesfer is a writer and researcher from Qatar and a professor of political science at Qatar University. He has authored multiple research papers, articles, and books.

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.