‘Why is America ignoring us on Iran?
‘Why is America ignoring us on Iran?’ | The Times of Israel.
Arab columnists cannot figure out why the Obama administration is willingly going along with Iran’s game of deception
November 22, 2013, 5:32 pm
US President Barack Obama (photo credit: CC BY Joe Bielawa, Flickr)
Negotiation between the six superpowers and Iran this week seems to be the issue of prime concern for Arab columnists, and they are voicing their alarm at a possible bad deal with the Islamic republic.
“Someone asked me why Gulf states are worried about the possibility of a reconciliation deal between the US and Iran,” writes Abdul Rahman Rashed in Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat Friday. ”I told him this concern was shared by all and not specific to Gulf states. [I said] the ambiguity is the cause of alarm. This is a common sense; Israel, despite its influence within the United States is worried too, expressing its concern honestly. Among us [Arabs] there are those who don’t speak of their feelings but break into a sweat, like the Syrian regime and Iran,” writes Rashed.
With regards to Syria, Iran will soon voluntarily forgo its backing of the Assad regime, opines Rashed, considering it more of a burden than an asset, or in his words “spoiled merchandise which has passed its expiry date.”
“This is a call for reason and logic in the negotiations [with Iran], but we do not know how the Obama administration thinks or sets its priorities,” concludes Rashed.
Meanwhile, Saudi columnist Abdul Mun’im Mustapha is not embarrassed to admit that Gulf Arabs are particularly concerned by Iran’s nuclear threat.
“The negotiators in Geneva regarding Iran’s nuclear program may know what they want for themselves, but they certainly don’t know what the region wants for itself,” writes Mustapha in an op-ed published in Saudi daily Al-Madina, titled “Nuclear Iran — where are the Arabs?”
Mustapha writes that the US would actually like to see Turkey, Iran and Israel strengthened at the expense of the Arabs.
“There is an American plan for the region which does not include any real role for the Arabs in leading the Middle East or even influencing its future. It seems like the Geneva negotiations … are no exception to this but rather a part of it. Therefor, I do not see Geneva as a conference to curb Tehran but rather to empower it through other means,” writes Mustapha.
The only way for Arabs to confront this challenge, he concludes, is by translating the vision of Arab self reliance “from the realm of wishes to the realm of action.”
Some Arab writers continue to focus on Iran and its seemingly duplicitous negotiation tactics. Writing for London-based daily Al-Hayat, columnist Elias Kharfoush asks the diplomats in Geneva “with which Iran are you negotiating?”
“The Iranian negotiator wants to tell the Westerners: ‘look, we wear Western suits, smile at the cameras, shave our beards, and speak fluent English. We have also appointed a woman as foreign ministry spokeswoman, just as you do. Therefor, there is no more justification to treat us harshly and deprive us of our frozen assets in your banks or boycott our oil exports which serve to counter the pitiful economic situation we suffer from,” writes Kharfoush.
The Iranian motivation for acting hypocritically is clear, concludes Kharfoush, but where is the America interest in playing along with it?
“What motivates the Obama administration and its partners to go along with this game? What pushes them to turn a blind eye to the other, true, face of Iran, ignoring the parts in plays in the region, from Iraq to Lebanon and through the Gulf states?
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WarSclerotic 
November 22, 2013 at 7:36 PM
Its not America, its this current president along with his laughable third rate team. Clueless self important wannabees, Moe , Larry and Curley…
November 22, 2013 at 10:01 PM
“‘Why is America ignoring us on Iran?”
That’s why:
Iranian-American Rapprochement: What’s In It for Israel and Saudi Arabia?
http://www.lobelog.com/iranian-american-rapprochement-whats-in-it-for-israel-and-saudi-arabia/
November 22, 2013 at 10:45 PM
Of course, it’s wishful thinking, utter denial of reality, absolute inablility to recognize the totalitarian, fanatical nature of the mullah regime and its irrational views and motives.
It’s shameful appeasement at all costs.
They think they can do business with the mullahs and they are right.
They can do business with them until the mullahs get what they want:
The ability to build within one week one or more nukes, put them into warheads and put these warheads on ICBMs that can reach any point on the planet.
You see, the mullahs don’t have to actually build nukes, to reach most of their goals.
It’s enough for them to have everything except the nukes ready and that the world knows that they can put everything together in one week.
If they arrive at this point it’s as good as actually having nukes because at that point it’s very, very hard for any country to stop them.
Any country that can achieve that IS a nuclear power.
But if the Iranians arrive at that point, the terms for business will change dramatically.
There is a good possibility that they end business alltogether and finally fulfil their dream of “Death to America”.
You think all this is bad? It’s worse, much much worse.
As the above article suggests, the US may not even contain a nuclear Iran.
I quote: “While Israel and Saudi Arabia (among others) have had good reason to fear the Islamic Republic of Iran in the past, the strong degree of Iranian-American hostility motivated Washington to contain Iran—and its doing so benefited Israel and Saudi Arabia. What Israeli and Saudi leaders now fear is that if Iranian-American relations improve significantly, Washington will no longer act so strongly to contain Iran. Indeed, the U.S. may press Israel and Saudi Arabia to soften their own policies toward Iran so as not to hinder the process of Iranian-American rapprochement or Tehran’s progress in “rejoining the international community.”
Maybe those people writing such articles are worse than I have described them. Maybe they even WANT Iran to get the bomb.
So, after dropping the military option, expect Washington to drop containment as well.
November 22, 2013 at 11:06 PM
My advice to Israel.
As long as Obavez is US president, forget about what America does or doesn’t.
Ignore what America wants or doesn’t want from you.
Ignore whether America agrees or disagrees wiith your policies.
And I also would advise you to not give a flying fuck about an American “green light” or no American “green light”.
It is now a matter of survival for you and in matters of survival untrustworthy alliances have the lowest of priorities.
November 23, 2013 at 9:55 AM
I am amazed the article in question never mentions the ramifications of a nuclear Iran or the inevitable nuclearization of much of their neighbors….these naive fools are going to get 10’s of millions killed.
November 23, 2013 at 10:03 AM
geneva now:israel is officially sold to mullahs.welcome to mullah dominated new world.waiting for next bibi’s move.