Iran needs to take the initiative to soften the atmosphere prevailing in its relations with Arab states and prevent the “radicalization” of their views toward the country in order to safeguard national interests, a former diplomat said.
In a recent interview with the Iranian Diplomacy website, Jalal Sadatian added that Tehran should work proactively to strengthen ties with Arab allies and defuse tensions in relations with other Arab governments, if it does not want them to get closer to Israel and pile up pressure on the Islamic Republic.
“However, we should not put all the onus on the Foreign Ministry. It is necessary that all organizations and institutions act in coordination with the diplomatic apparatus and avoid a hardline stance or harsh rhetoric so as to prevent the radicalization of the Arab community’s views toward Iran,” he said.
Sadatian, who is an expert on Middle East affairs, made the comments when asked what steps should Iran take in response to efforts to normalize Arab-Israeli relations, which was also on the agenda of the Iran-focused global summit held recently in Warsaw.
Arab officials from a number of Persian Gulf Arab nations, including Oman, attended the conference jointly hosted by Poland and the United States on Feb. 13-14, which was part of the US administration’s obsessive campaign of stoking maximum hostility toward Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel that has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, talked up the Arab participation as a breakthrough in the formation of a new regional axis against Iran.
Netanyahu’s office also leaked a video of Persian Gulf Arab ministers slamming Iran during a closed-door session in Warsaw, Aljazeera reported, citing Israeli media.
Necessary Steps
Sadatian says Iran should pursue strategies that could change the status quo. He believes that the Iranian government should not allow its relationship with rival Arab countries to worsen and should work hard to enhance its friendly ties with them, particularly Oman.
“For example, after Netanyahu made a trip to Oman and held a meeting with Sultan Qaboos, Tehran should have sent its representatives to the country to help expand ties, or now that Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi has met one-on-one with Netanyahu during the Warsaw summit, Iranian officials should soon visit Oman to help prevent a crack from forming in relations,” he said.
The former envoy to Britain added that the opportunity provided by joint economic projects with the sultanate should be utilized to cement ties with Oman, which still regards the Islamic Republic as an influential and important actor.
Sadatian said Arab states want to normalize their relations with Israel in order to win greater support from the United States.
Improvements in Arab-Israeli ties have accelerated in recent years. Last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land and the kingdom opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel.
In October 2018, the Israeli prime minister made a rare visit to Oman, which has long been to the Middle East what neutral Switzerland is to global diplomacy. Oman’s top diplomat has said it is time to accept Israel in region.
