Iranian officials have recently made several high-profile visits to Syria, where they offered huge levels of financial and other support for the embattled regime of Bashar Assad. Iran has already involved itself deeply in the Syrian crisis, through military advisers, property purchase and the creation of a social-religious presence in some areas.
Iran’s actions are so heavy-handed that they have alienated elements of the Syrian military, who complain about being treated like second-class citizens in their own country – and in some cases they have paid the price of expressing such opinions.
Iran has also ratcheted up its rhetoric against Saudi Arabia, deciding it should have a say in who decides the future of war-torn Yemen.
In Iraq, Iran’s central contribution has been to encourage the establishment of nonstate actors that have only stoked sectarianism – the last thing that Iraq needs.
This week, an Iranian official warned Israel that Tehran and its ally Hezbollah were capable of destroying Israel’s major cities as a response to any military moves by Tel Aviv. While Israel should certainly be deterred from attacking Lebanon, Iran has yet to move from issuing threats based on its ties to Hezbollah, to consulting the Lebanese authorities about such matters of national sovereignty.
Iran’s actions and statements are sugarcoated with the diplomatic phrase “we want only the best relations with other countries.” If this policy is directed at the U.S., it appears to be paying dividends. The legacy of the Barack Obama administration: Iran is a stabilizing force.
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