A parliamentarian warned Iran's neighboring Arab kingdoms who rushed to back US President Donald Trump after his recent bombastic anti-Iran speech not to be assured of unflagging US support for their rule.
Valiollah Nanvakenari also reminded them that Washington's steps toward reneging its obligations under the 2015 Iran nuclear accord is yet another sign that the US cannot be trusted to keep its word, ICANA reported.
"US unfaithfulness toward the deal is [another] wakeup call to states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, as something similar could happen to them at any moment," in a recent talk.
In his address on Oct. 13, Trump said his administration will not confirm Tehran's commitment to the nuclear deal to the US Congress. Oct. 15 was the third deadline for him to extend the certification of Iran's compliance, which is required by US law every 90 days.
The US president threatened to "terminate" the nuclear deal signed between Iran and six world powers unless Congress and European parties to the two-year pact fix its "many flaws".
The congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose nuclear-related US sanctions, which will put the US in violation of the deal, or possibly set new "trigger points" to automatically restore sanctions over issues unrelated to the nuclear deal. It can also take no action to let the deal stay in place.
Trump's decertification came despite the fact that he had twice certified Iran's compliance since coming to power in January.
More importantly, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog that is in charge of monitoring Iran's compliance with its obligations, has repeatedly confirmed Iran's full adherence.
Whatever the outcome, other signatories to the deal, namely France, Britain and Germany, as well as Russia and China, have vowed to stand by the international agreement, as it stands.
***Lesson From History
"The US is not a dependable supporter for regional states, and this has been proven so many times," Nanvakenari said, citing former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was a darling of the US during his eight-year aggression against Iran in the 80s, but fell from favor with Washington after attacking Kuwait and was later toppled by the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"Arab rulers in the Persian Gulf ought to learn a lesson from history," he said.
"I hope US allies in the Persian Gulf will not [keep] running away from realities and show prudence and adopt right positions to avoid future challenges."
In his speech, Trump also outlined a hardline policy against Iran that was for months in the making, reeling off a list of fabricated charges against Iran, including "sponsorship of terrorism and its continuing aggression in the Middle East and all around the world."
International reactions to Trump's tough words were mostly negative, with widespread condemnation coming from other signatories that believe Iran is clearly sticking to its commitments.
Supportive voices for Trump's more confrontational posture toward Tehran were limited to only a handful of countries, notably Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
Riyadh, which during two years of negotiations that led to the nuclear deal had made attempts to put obstacles in the way of its conclusion, praised Trump's tough words against Iran in a statement shortly after his speech.
Saudi Arabia lauded Trump for his "vision" and commitment to working with allies in the region to confront Iran's "aggressive" regional policy, according to a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Separately, King Salman, who has put aside the long-running cautious foreign policy of the kingdom and adopted a highly antagonistic tone on Iran since assuming the throne in 2015, hailed Trump in a phone call last Saturday for his "firm strategy" against "Iranian aggression and its support for terrorism in the region."
The UAE and Bahrain also issued similar statements, expressing their full support for the new US policy toward Iran.
Their reaction was strikingly similar to the Israeli regime, whose leader Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his so-called "courageous decision".
