Gates argued forcefully at a Persian Gulf security conference Saturday that U.S. intelligence indicates Iran could restart its secret nuclear weapons program “at any time” and remains a major threat to the region, the Washington Post reported.
Tough and at times sarcastic, Gates said the Iranian government also is supplying weapons to insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, backing the Islamic movements Hezbollah and Hamas, and developing medium-range ballistic missiles.
TEHRAN - Iraqi political analyst Hussein al-Agili has criticized the recent remarks of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who called Iran “a major threat to the region”.
This was a “desperate reaction to the unity between the two coasts of the Persian Gulf,” al-Agili told the Mehr News Agency in a telephone conversation on Sunday.
Gates argued forcefully at a Persian Gulf security conference Saturday that U.S. intelligence indicates Iran could restart its secret nuclear weapons program “at any time” and remains a major threat to the region, the Washington Post reported.
Tough and at times sarcastic, Gates said the Iranian government also is supplying weapons to insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, backing the Islamic movements Hezbollah and Hamas, and developing medium-range ballistic missiles.
The U.S. defense secretary urged countries around the world to demand that Iran “come clean” about its past nuclear weapons development and insist that it suspend uranium enrichment, pledge not to develop nuclear weapons in the future, and agree to inspections. Until it takes those steps, he suggested, engaging Iran in talks would not be productive.
Al-Agili said, “The unity between the two shores of the Persian Gulf was the main and the most important reason” for Gates’ comments. “Today everyone is aware of U.S. officials’ intentions and the emptiness of their remarks. They know that these allegations are baseless.”
The political analyst added, “In previous years, Iraq was regarded as the ‘main threat’. It was accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction, but after its occupation and the great disaster that befell the country, those allegations proved to be baseless.
“Now the U.S. is seeking to present Iran as a threat to Arab states and the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, although, over the course of history, Iran has never posed a threat to its southern neighbors,” he added.
Gates’ remarks a reaction to Iran’s active diplomacy
Egyptian political analyst Bakinam al-Sharghawi said, “Gates’ comments show that the United States is seeking to step up pressure on Iran over its nuclear activities.”
Iran has been pursuing an active foreign policy in the Middle East through its efforts to expand cooperation with regional states, and this has compelled the U.S. to take action against the Islamic Republic, she told MNA.
Sharghawi said, “The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report on Iran’s nuclear activities reveals that U.S. decision-making bodies are at loggerheads over Iran.”
The NIE report released on Monday said that Iran currently has no secret nuclear weapons program.
The U.S. government has not reached a consensus on Iran’s nuclear dossier, and one U.S. political party believes that Iran’s nuclear activities do not pose a threat to the United States’ national security, she stated.
On the other hand U.S. conservative groups are pushing for more pressure on Iran, regardless of whether the country’s nuclear program is peaceful or not, she added.
Israel the real threat to regional security
Bahraini Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has said Gates’ remarks about Iran’s actions in the region are his personal views and Israel presents the real threat to the Middle East’s security.
Bahrain is making every effort to help the Islamic Republic of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency continue cooperation in order to resolve the nuclear dispute, he said in an interview with the Manama-based Alwasat newspaper published on Sunday.
PGCC totally opposed to use of military option in nuclear standoff
At the regional security conference on Saturday, Persian Gulf countries, concerned about the nuclear standoff between the United States and Iran, loudly voiced their opposition to any military option being used against Tehran.
“We want the military factor (in regard to Iran’s nuclear program) to be eliminated,” the secretary general of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, told AFP on Saturday.
“What we care about in the PGCC is finding solutions that enhance security and stability… and (we) believe in dialogue as a way to solve the crisis,” between the West and Iran, he said.
“We are not for the military confrontation option,” Attiyah added.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamed bin Jassem al-Thani went further, calling on Washington to engage Tehran in dialogue to reach a solution.
“Direct talks do not mean agreeing (from the start) with the other party,” he told conference delegates on Saturday.
Qatar, one of the key U.S.-allies in the region, hosts the U.S. Army’s Central Command, which directed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
But in a surprising move, it invited Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to attend a PGCC annual summit on Monday, making him the first Iranian president to take part in a Persian Gulf leaders’ summit.
“I don’t think we can try to solve our problems through trying to seal Iran (off from) the region. They are a very important player,” he said defending Qatar’s decision.
He also stated that being “pushed into a military confrontation with Iran” would not be in the interest of the PGCC countries.
Toby Dodge, a Middle East consulting senior fellow at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said the PGCC fears of military escalation in the Persian Gulf were justified.
“Iran would retaliate to any (U.S.) military action and the Persian Gulf region would be affected… I assume that their strategy is to support an active U.S. policy to restrain Iran (on the nuclear front), but short of military action,” he told AFP.
