Tehran, May 16, IRNA – As the tensions in the Persian Gulf continue toincrease, the role of the disturbing actors who are pushing forexacerbation of the conflict between Tehran and Washington to secure theirinterests is highlighted more than before.
The recent suspicious explosions in Persian Gulf are among newexacerbation. In recent days, disputes between Iran and the United Stateshave increased which the dispatch of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraftcarrier to the Persian Gulf waters and, consequently, the deployment offour B-52 bombers at the Qatari Al-Udeid Air Base are distinctiveindications.
At the same time, there are reports of sabotage operations, such as theexplosion that took place a few days ago at the UAE’s al- Fujairah port andtargeted several ships.
While the US regional allies have been pointing directly and indirectly toIran, some observers have emphasized these sabotage measures areartificial, which are aimed at driving America into a militaryconfrontation with Iran.
In this regard, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called’suspicious’ such subversive acts and emphasized that ‘we had alreadypredicted that some would try to foment tensions in the region by doingsome actions’.
He also wrote on his Twitter page, ‘This prediction is not due to being agenius, but because the Team B follows the prescription of John Bolton.’
‘Team B’ is a term that was first introduced a few weeks ago by Zarif in aninterview with the American Fox News network; media outlet whoseunequivocal support of President Donald Tramp is distinctive.
Zarif said during the interview that ‘Team B, including John Bolton, Bibi(Netanyahu), Ben Salman and Ben Zayed, are trying to drag the United Statesto war with Iran’.
The people whom the Iranian FM has pointed out to are severelyanti-Iranian. Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as USMiddle East allies of the US, are publically struggling to confront Iran.Bolton, on the other hand, as a senior advisor to Trump due to closecontact with the MEK and the Zionist regime has a great deal of hatredagainst Iran and Iranians.
The warmongering characteristic of Bolton, however, has not been overlookedby Trump, and he tries to distance himself from the views of his senioradvisor on some issues; the fact that Trump did admit it several days ago,and during a White House news conference, noted that Bolton has strongbeliefs, but he has other than Bolton (other people and other advisers),and in fact, he is trying to balance his warmongering spirit.
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The disagreements between Iran and the US are still increasing, butofficials from both sides consider the possibility of a military conflictweak, which would be costly for both sides as well as US allies. So, afterthe New York Times reported that the United States intended to send 120,000troops to the region, Trump called it fake immediately and denied it.
Recently, Trump’s passion for negotiating with Iran has become moreapparent. He insisted a few days ago that the White House provided theSwiss Embassy with a contact number so that Iran could contact thePresident of the United States if it wished. Prior to that, he hademphasized he would like Iranians to contact him and he hopes that thiswill happen.
In addition to Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has repeatedlyemphasized that the United States is not following the war with Iran. In ameeting with his Russian counterpart in Sochi, Russia on Tuesday (May 14),he reiterated that his country was not seeking military confrontation withIran.
In Iran, senior officials in the country reject the possibility of a war.Like the words of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution AyatollahSeyyed Ali Khamenei two days ago in a meeting with a number of officials,that he stressed that the confrontation is not a military one, becausethere is no war to occur.
In the conflict between Iran and the United States, the role and place ofEuropeans cannot be ignored. Brian Hook, the US Special Representative forIran, said several days ago during an unexpected visit to Brussels that theUnited States would count on Europe even in military terms to deal withIran.
But in reality, Hook’s claim is clearly rejected, especially after the coldreaction that the European authorities and the European Union foreignpolicy chief, Federica Mogherini, had on the unexpected trip of Hook andPompeo to Brussels. This cold encounter went so far as Mogherini assessedthe plan of foreign ministers of the European countries in the context ofJCPOA as tense, and stated that it is unclear whether there could be apossibility of meeting with the US Secretary of State.
The announcement of the full commitment of Europeans to JCPOA and therealization of the INSTEX mechanism over the coming weeks is also anotherillustration of Europe’s remarkable distance from the White House policy.
