Amid rising tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States of America, Iran has recently warned the Arab neighbors in the Gulf that it will retaliate viciously if their territories or airspace are used to help Israel in any attack. This warning given in code behind the veiled diplomatic message was delivered to countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Qatar, all of which house US military bases.
It got worse after Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel early this year, which could lead the Israelis to think of attacking Iran’s nuclear or oil targets. Iran threatened to retaliate not only against Israel but also against other Arab countries if they facilitated or supported an attack.
Biden admin: So we threatened some nations, and they said no way, Jose, we don’t want to bomb Iran. And the Canada Sun News reports that the Gulf states, worried about the result on their oil installations and world markets, have conveyed this to the Biden administration. S-long regional conflict directly threatens oil shipments through the Hormuz Strait, which controls about a third of the world’s seaborne oil exports and thus may lead to higher world oil prices.
As a result of these breakthroughs, the US has announced new sanctions against the Iranian oil and petrochemical sector and the Iranian vessels involved in violating the previous sanctions. This step is a part of the plan that the US has been implementing in order to cut off the sources of the revenues that Iran is using to finance its missile and nuclear projects, as well as maintaining militias in the region.
The rising tension has led to an opposite network of affiliations. The feelings are mutual, and several other Arab states are also concerned about Iran’s expanding influence in the region, but they are careful lest a head-on conflict with Iran lead to another catastrophic war as they did in Iraq and Lebanon. Such collaboration as Jordan’s seizure of Iranian rockets bound for the Israelis earlier this year has not resulted in the Arab states providing military backing to Israel, which remains a sensitive subject.
As tensions rise, the focus is on preventing further escalation and safeguarding regional stability, with global oil markets hanging in the balance.
