Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's foreign policy poses a challenge not only for the Arab and Western countries, but also taxes Iranian circles traditionally loyal to the regime. Criticism in the Iranian press is usually aimed at the moderate Arab axis – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan (see appendix) – but after recently taking steps towards reconciliation with these countries, Ahmadinejad himself has met with criticism at home.
In a December 20, 2010 article titled "The Diplomatic Mirage of Amman, Riyadh, Cairo, and Sana'a," the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader 'Ali Khamenei, not only criticized these countries' regimes but also attacked Ahmadinejad's foreign initiatives aimed at rapprochement with them. The criticism came in response to a number of recent developments, including a meeting held in Amman between King 'Abdallah of Jordan and Ahmadinejad's advisor Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, and an invitation of the former to visit Iran;[1] statements made by Iran's newly appointed caretaker foreign minister 'Ali-Akbar Salehi, in his swearing-in ceremony, which emphasized the importance of developing special ties with Saudi Arabia in light of its prominent religious and economic status;[2] and reports in the media of improving economic ties between Iran and Egypt.[3]
Kayhan claimed that Ahmadinejad's gestures of friendship towards the moderate Arab states contradicted the regime's official policy, which was determined by officials senior to Ahmadinejad, most notably Khamenei.
The daily also lambasted Jordan and Saudi Arabia, which it accused of encouraging terrorism against Iran and its citizens. It claimed that Jordan was host to a widespread terror network responsible for attacks throughout the region, and that Saudi Arabia funded and directed terrorist activity against Iran and the Shi'ites. It also attacked Yemen for its campaign against Islamist organizations, waged with U.S. and Saudi cooperation, and for its oppression of the Shi'ite Houthis. Kayhan said that Ahmadinejad's initiatives vis-à-vis the moderate, Western-allied Arab states looked like capitulation on the part of Tehran to the terrorism perpetrated by these countries.
Following are excerpts from the article:
Saudi Arabia Supports Terrorist Activity against Iran
The article begins by criticizing Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan – which it claims have comprised an axis of reconciliation with Israel since 1973 – for failing to condemn the recent terrorist attacks in Iran, among them the November 2010 assassination of nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari and the December 2010 suicide bombing of a Shi'ite mosque in Chabahar by the separatist group Jundallah. The article hints at these countries' involvement in the attacks and reiterates accusations it made earlier that they collaborated with Israel against Hizbullah during the 2006 Lebanon war and against the Palestinians during the 2008-2009 Gaza war:
"These regimes, which have no concept of elections or democracy, stood alongside the agitators of the riots [in Iran] and supported them in the fitna [civil strife] that followed Iran's [2009] presidential elections. According to reports, the Saudi royal court provided special assistance to the fitna leaders. Even now, the Saudi media is busy providing special services to the fitna agitators, airing news concerning Iran or interviews with the agitators under the headline 'Crisis in Iran,' in order to present Iran as [a country] still facing internal strife.
"At the time of [nuclear scientist] Shahram Amiri's kidnapping and his transfer to America [in 2009], which was carried out in a collaborative [effort] between the CIA and the Saudi intelligence service, the Saudi regime was unwilling to cooperate in any way with the Iranian government, and to this day it has not clarified when and how Amiri was transferred from Saudi Arabia [to the U.S.]."
Egypt Collaborates with Israel
"In Egypt, it is the Intelligence Directorate that handles the [relations] with Iran, rather than the foreign ministry, which is to say that the Cairo government considers its relations with Iran to be a security matter rather than a diplomatic matter. [Moreover, the matter of relations with] Iran is [specifically] in the hands of [Egyptian Intelligence Chief] 'Omar Suleiman, [who has] strong Zionist tendencies, [and] who, during the siege on Gaza, said to the European relief workers who came to Egypt and were denied entry into Gaza: 'I will not allow you into Gaza even if you stand so long in the sun that your brains are fried.' Israeli senior official [Binyamin] Ben Eliezer said on that occasion that Suleiman was more Israeli than the Israelis. Several days earlier, [Egyptian President] Hosni Mubarak said explicitly: 'As long as I am alive, I will not allow the Iranians to set foot in Egypt.'"
Jordan's King 'Abdallah Is the Son of a British Jewess
"As for the Jordanian regime, it is enough for us to know that, during the last [security] summit in Manama, [Bahrain,] King ['Abdallah of Jordan] expressed concern over the halt of reconciliation talks [between Israel and the Palestinians], and asked the Western countries to help to renew them, while [even the head of the Palestinian] negotiations team, Mahmoud 'Abbas, said explicitly the they were completely futile.
"[This was what King 'Abdallah did] instead of protesting the actions of the Zionist regime: the demolishing of the wall behind the Western Wall; the escalation of the tunneling [operations] underneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque, [which are likely] to cause its collapse; the ongoing construction [activity] in East Jerusalem; [and] the ongoing policy of deporting Palestinians from Jerusalem and the [West] Bank, while insisting that the Muslims refrain from responding to these actions. The Jordanian puppet government has shown that there are no limits to its alliance with the Zionist regime, which, of course, comes as no surprise, [considering] that King 'Abdallah is the son of a British Jewess and heir to King Hussein, who, as all Arabs know, was the main cause of the Arabs' defeat in the 1967 war."
Kayhan Reprimands Ahmadinejad
"[Iran's moves of] sending [Esfandiar Rahim Mashai] as a special envoy to Jordan [on Ahmadinejad's behalf], [holding] two teleconferences with the Saudi royal court in a single month, expressing hope for the establishment of relations with Egypt, and intimating that a special delegate will be sent to Yemen are all extremely logical [moves] in an atmosphere of bilateral cooperation or when both sides express a willingness [to cooperate]. However, they are entirely illogical in an atmosphere where one side is begging [for rapprochement] and the other is playing hard to get."
Saudi Arabia
"The Saudi government does not observe the most minimal [norms of] neighborly relations, and there are even documents [that prove] it is collaborating with the West in creating a security climate that is detrimental to all the countries in the region. This is the only explanation for [Saudi Arabia's] unprecedented acquisition of more than $60 billion worth of advanced means of warfare. Therefore, pleading to expand our relations with such a country without [first] persuading it to accept [even] the simplest principles [of proper relations] goes against the recognized logic of international relations...
"Regarding unilateral ties with the Saudi royal court, there is room to ask if anyone has doubt as to whether the terrorist activity in eastern Iran – including the recent terrorist activity in Baluchestan [province] – would have been possible without special financial aid from Saudi Arabia and the American intelligence coverage. Nothing can be expected of the Saudi royal court, which impudently stood alongside the Zionist regime in the 2006 Lebanon war against the oppressed Lebanese people, nor can [Iran] be expected to turn a blind eye to [further] malicious steps that render [these] criminals even more impudent."
Jordan
"The issue of warming relations with Jordan is even more interesting. First of all, the Jordanians have no standing in regional affairs, and Jordan is considered an invisible state. Second, [Jordan's] diplomatic conduct vis-à-vis Iran is the worst of all. The Jordanians have shown that they have no desire to distance themselves in the slightest from America, Israel, and England's current policy in the region, and that they see their lives as [dependent on their] ties [to these countries]. Third, in recent weeks, months, and years, we have not seen any positive sign from Jordan that would now encourage us to send a special envoy to Amman with any optimism.
"This futile step exacts a price from one side [only] and will have many negative repercussions. Even before special envoy [Rahim Mashai's] plane returned from Amman, circles and media outlets that support the resistance in Lebanon and Syria were expressing amazement and concern, estimating that [Mashai's visit] would restore Jordan to its negative role in regional issues. It must be remembered that when Jordan did have a standing in regional affairs, it operated as the Israel's executive arm. Today everyone knows that King 'Abdallah is more Israeli than King Hussein, and therefore, without the shadow of a doubt, there was no interest, wisdom, or honor in sending a special envoy to Jordan.
"Not only does Jordan lack any influence on developments in the region, and [not only] is it generally disregarded, but it still serves as a hub for senior terrorists from the monafeghin organizations [i.e., the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e Khalq], the [Iraqi] Ba'ath, and Salafi groups... The severe terrorist acts being carried out today against the innocent Iranian people, against the Shi'ite holy places, and against Iranian pilgrims are directed and launched from Jordan. For several years now and up to the present time, Jordan has served as a meeting and gathering place for the heads of the terrorist organizations who sometimes even officially appear on Jordanian television.
"If sending a special envoy to a country with such traits was [supposedly] intended to warm relations, in actuality it stinks of capitulation to terrorist acts, while the Iranian nation and government are not – and never have been – ready to capitulate to terrorist acts..."
Yemen
"Simultaneous with [the rapprochement] with Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, there have been whispers of a special envoy, [namely, Ahmadinejad's advisor Vice President Hamid Baghaei], being sent to Yemen.[4] At present, the Yemeni government is an ally of the Saudi government in oppressing the downtrodden Shi'ites in Yemen. 'Ali 'Abdallah Saleh's government from the south and the Saudi government from the north have the Shi'ites between the hammer and the anvil.
"[Moreover], Yemen has launched a relentless and false propaganda [campaign] against Iran over the last five or six years over [Iran's] military support of the Houthis, though [Yemen] itself has become a center for the Iraqi Ba'athists, and has even posted [former] officers in Saddam [Hussein's] army to sensitive government positions.
"Over the last few years, the Sana'a government has undermined all of Iran's diplomatic efforts toward clearing up the misunderstandings [between the countries], and until now has been unwilling to receive any Iranian representatives. During these years, Yemen has become a close ally of America and the Al-Sa'ud family in fighting Islamism, and has handed over the extremely strategic island of Socotra, at the mouth of the Bab Al-Mandeb [Strait], to the Pentagon and the CIA in order to facilitate American operations against the resistance. Therefore, in the current circumstances, [Ahmadinejad's] appeal to Yemen, which will not be welcomed by the 'Yemeni puppet officials' [in any case], is not in [Iran's] interest."
It Is Khamenei, Rather than Ahmadinejad, Who Determines Iran's Foreign Policy
"Recent diplomatic activity in Iran – the dispatching of special envoys, the replacement of [former foreign] minister [Manouchehr Mottaki with 'Ali Akbar Salehi], and especially the latter's declaration, during his swearing-in ceremony, that 'it is time to build trust [with the international community]'[5] – was meant to indicate a change in Iran's foreign policy. [But] this policy will not resolve anything or lead anywhere, because everyone knows that it is not the executive branch [i.e., the president] that is charged with [determining] Iran's [foreign] policy, but that this policy is determined by a higher echelon and with the participation of all the senior officials in the country, with Supreme Leader ['Ali Khamenei] at their head. [Moreover,] with regards to most issues, like that of the struggle against the Zionist regime, [Iran is committed] to neutralizing American plots and helping the resistance in the region, and this policy is not subject to any change whatsoever.
"In addition, Ahmadinejad's government is known to be the most conservative government Iran has ever had. Abroad, Ahmadinejad is [considered the] most anti-Israeli, revolutionary, and popular personality, after Khamenei, and no special envoy can remove this label from [Ahmadinejad's] government. Therefore, the enemies [should not be] misled by this step, even though it has worried a number of friends..."
Appendix A: Iranian Criticism of the Moderate Arab Camp
The Iranian press and public figures in Iran have voiced a great deal of criticism against Egypt, a country ideologically antithetical to Iran in light of its peace agreement with Israel, its relations with the West, and its past assistance to the deposed shah. Criticism of Saudi Arabia has been more restrained, and has focused on Saudi Arabia's oppression of the Shi'ite Houthis in Yemen, and on hints at Saudi support of the Sunni separatist group Jundallah, active in eastern Iran.
Following are a number of articles characteristic of this criticism over recent months:
Jomhouri-ye Eslami: Arab Leaders Are Alienated from the Koran
The daily Jomhouri-ye Eslami, which is close to the religious seminaries in Qom and to Ahmadinejad's rival 'Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, claimed that the Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian leaders had no true ties to the Koran, which was why they had remained silent over the U.S. scheme to burn copies of this book. The daily said that their reticence proved these leaders were alienated from Islam, a fact that would soon lead to the collapse of their regimes.[6]
Kayhan: The Entire Middle East Will Be Islamic within a Decade or Two
Kayhan predicted that the region would soon witness violent clashes that would ultimately result, within a decade or two, in a wholly Islamic Middle East, from Iran to Egypt, despite the U.S.'s plans for democracy in the region. The daily added that the Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian governments' support of Israel and their hostility toward the Palestinians was no surprise, since Palestinian liberation would mean the establishment of Islamic rule over the entire Middle East.[7]
Sobh-e Sadeq: The Moderate Axis Is Pitting the U.S. against Iran
An article in Sobh-e Sadeq, the weekly of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan feared that a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran would endanger their security, but were also concerned that in order to break out of the stalemate in the region, the U.S. would allow Iran to continue its nuclear program. For this reason, the article said, these countries felt the need to implement a policy of "controlled regional tension" of a religious nature against Iran, in order to ensure their status in any new regional power balance that might take shape, and that they were implementing this policy in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. The article warned Saudi Arabia that encouraging Egypt and Jordan to join it in the war against the Houthis in Yemen would be a trap for the Saudi government, as the resulting crisis would inevitably spill over into Saudi Arabia's own territory.[8]
Iranian Journalist: Saudi Regime the Most Dangerous in the Middle East, after Israel
At a panel discussion on politics in Saudi Arabia, hosted by the Iranian news agency Mehr, Hassan Hanizadeh, member of Mehr's editorial board, called the Saudi regime the most dangerous to the Islamic world and to the Arabs in particular, second only to Israel, citing as evidence this regime's negative involvement in Lebanon and Iraq and negative treatment of women and of its Shi'ite minority. Hanizadeh said that Bandar bin Sultan, whom he referred to as a "CIA agent," was the most influential figure in Saudi Arabia, but that he would not inherit King 'Abdallah's throne because his mother had been a 'slave.'[9]
Student Protests against the Saudi Regime
In late October 2009, the Student Movement of the Islamic World held a rally outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran in protest of alleged Saudi involvement in terrorist attacks carried out by Jundallah in the Baluchestan province and of the massacre of Shi'ite Houthis in Yemen by Saudi forces.
At the rally, Mojtaba Ahmadi, one of the movement's leaders, said: "When we say 'cancerous growth,' you are likely to think we mean Israel. Of course, Israel is the first and foremost cancerous growth in the world of Islam. However, for some time now, an additional cancerous growth has been [affecting] the world of Islam and serving as a base for the power ruling the world of Islam [i.e., the U.S.]... If holy Jerusalem has been occupied by the Zionists and Israel, the Ka'ba has been occupied by the Al-Sa'ud family... We the students have an obligation not to allow the values of Islam and the movement of the oppressed to sink into oblivion... The traitorous Al-Sa'ud family's government must know that their help in sowing schism in [the land that is] the mother of the Muslim world [i.e., Iran] will lead nowhere, just as their help to the agitators of the riots in Iran [following the 2009 presidential elections] failed to bear fruit..."[10]
Appendix B: Criticism of Egypt
Jomhouri-ye Eslami: Mubarak – A Servant of the U.S. and Israel
Reacting to Hosni Mubarak's criticism of Iran, the daily Jomhouri-ye Eslami called the Egyptian president "the mouthpiece of the U.S. and Israel in the region," and claimed he was justifying Israel's nuclear arms and serving as a special envoy for Israel and the U.S. In exchange, the daily added, these countries had given Mubarak permission to run in the upcoming presidential elections, and promised him that upon his death his son Gamal, "the new Pharaoh," would succeed him as president. The daily stated further that Ahmadinejad's decision to renew flights between Tehran and Cairo despite Egypt's peace agreement with Israel contradicted the Iranian regime's policy, which denied Israel's right to exist.[11]
Jomhouri-ye Eslami: Mubarak's Regime on the Verge of Collapse
Jomhouri-ye Eslami estimated that, in light of Mubarak's failing health, the regime of this "traitorous dictator and servant of the Americans" was on the verge of collapse, a fact that worried the U.S. and Israel, who feared the effect this would have on their status in the region. The daily claimed that the extensive fraud in Egypt's recent parliamentary elections had shaken the Egyptian public's faith in the regime, and that Mubarak's succession by his son Gamal or by Egyptian Intelligence Chief 'Omar Suleiman would not restore the regime's legitimacy in the eyes of the people or prevent them from overthrowing it.[12]
Kayhan: Mubarak's Regime Is Dependent on the U.S.
Kayhan said that it had been "foolish" of Mubarak's regime to oppress the Muslim Brotherhood in the recent parliamentary elections, claiming that if a small opposition faction had been allowed to remain in the parliament, it would have become a partner in the government. The daily claimed that Mubarak's reliance on outside help in maintaining his regime would last only as long as the White House deemed his rule preferable to anarchy in Egypt. The daily concluded that Mubarak's regime could only survive as a total dictatorship, adding that it was common knowledge that the age of dictatorships had passed.[13]
Jomhouri-ye Eslami to Egyptian Political Parties: Boycott the Elections and the Regime Will Collapse
The daily Jomhouri-ye Eslami said that the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood and the other Egyptian parties opposed to Mubarak's regime in the "fictitious" parliamentary elections was superfluous, and called on these parties to implement a general boycott against the regime in order to pave the way for its downfall.[14]
Jomhouri-ye Eslami: The Egyptian People Loathe Mubarak's Regime
Reacting to Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit's calls for Iran to stop interfering in the domestic affairs of the Arab countries, including Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon, the daily Jomhouri-ye Eslami said that the "Cairo regime" had no place dictating to other countries how to act, since it was isolated and loathed by its own oppressed people, having maintained its rule only through fake elections. The daily added that Egypt's betrayal of the Arab world was evident in its failed initiatives for peace between Hamas and Fatah, its demolition of tunnels in Gaza, and its actions against Arab interests in Iraq and Lebanon.[15]
Iranian News Agency Extols Sadat's Assassin
On October 6, 2010, the anniversary of the assassination of late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat at the hands of Khaled Al-Islambuli, the Iranian news agency Fars, which is close to the IRGC, published photos of the assassination under the heading "The Revolutionary Execution of Anwar Sadat in Pictures." Fars explained that the pictures were published in commemoration of Al-Islambuli.[16]
[1] See MEMRI Blog Report, "Jordanian King Invited to Iran," December 12, 2010, http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/32766.htm.
[2] IRNA (Iran), December 18, 2010.
[3] The website Ayande News, a frequent critic of Ahmadinejad, likewise censured his sending of emissaries to Yemen and Jordan, known for their anti-Iranian orientation. Ayande cited the case of a drone shot down in March 2007 as an example of Yemen's hostility toward Iran, mentioning that the Yemeni media had claimed the drone to be Iranian, while the Yemeni government had claimed it to be American. The website went on to say that Jordan, too, was no reliable ally of Iran, since its leader, King 'Abdallah, like his father King Hussein, was "an official and ardent agent of the CIA," and had come to power through a coup orchestrated by the CIA. The website added that Jordan had been among the closest allies of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and that to this day Jordan was a safe haven for members of Saddam's family. Ayandenews.com (Iran), January 5, 2011.
[4] In a meeting with Yemeni President 'Ali 'Abdallah Saleh in Sana'a, Baghaei gave Saleh a letter from Ahmadinejad in which the Iranian president proposed ways of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. Baghaei said he hoped his visit to Yemen would serve as a starting point for developing these relations. ISNA (Iran), December 21, 2010.
[5] Upon taking office, Salehi said that building trust was a fundamental value of diplomacy and foreign policy. IRNA (Iran), December 18, 2010.
[6] Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), September 18, 2010.
[7] Kayhan (Iran), March 3, 2010.
[8] Sobh-e Sadeq (Iran), November 16, 2009.
[9] Mehr (Iran), January 11, 2011
[10] ISNA (Iran), October 20, 2009.
[11] Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), October 9, 2010.
[12] Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), December 26, 2010.
[13] Kayhan (Iran), December 7, 2010.
[14] Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), December 5, 2010.
[15] Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), December 1, 2010.
[16] Fars (Iran), October 11, 2010.
