Jahanshah Rashidian

The standoff between the IRI and the West and Arab countries has been reciprocally escalating last days. Besides the old conflict of IRI's nuclear programme, new flare-ups stir the relations up:

--most Arab countries see the IRI behind the new conflicts in Lebanon and believe that the IRI is fuelling a new civil war in Lebanon. Lebanese Hezbollah is an armed proxy group of the IRI.

--Arabs are disappointed by US support for Israel.

--the US warns the IRI.

--the IRI rebukes the two other sides.

Since the end of the World War 1, Lebanon is the bridge connecting the Middle Eastern culture and Europeans. Home to different languages and two main Abramian religions, Islam and Christianity, it has been battle ground for many foreign supported militias during the civil war. The country is now threatened to go through new civil war and instability for other countries.

Since the creation of proxy forces like the Phalange in the 70th by Israel and now Hezbollah by the IRI in 1982, peace is difficult to return for this beautiful Mediterranean ancient nation. Lebanon is in the eyes of Mullahs.

The Reactions by most Arab countries is expressed in Cairo last week. A part from Syria, Arab foreign ministers severely condemned IRI-led Hezbollah for recent clashes in Lebanon. As if this collective condemnation were not enough, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal warned again the IRI for having a hand in the violence that has shaken Beirut and other parts of Lebanon over the past week.

The standoff between Arabs and the IRI resulted into an unprecedented reaction from the IRI by recalling its ambassador to Iraq in protest of Baghdad's support for a move by the United Arab Emirates to take ownership of three Persian Gulf islands. The Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa islands, which lie at a key access point to the Strait of Hormuz.

The relations between the IRI and Arab nations cannot escape from the newest bush visit of the region. U.S. President George W. Bush was in Saudi Arabia Friday discussing rising oil prices, but his three-day visit to Israel announced his full support for Israel.

The American president's solidarity and pledges of continued U.S. support Israel have given Arabs great reason to raise doubts over his will or ability to broker peace deal solutions in the favour of all parts, including Palestine.

On the other hand, Iraq, Palestine and now Lebanon are the arenas of non-Arab conflicts, where the West and IRI attempt to mark their hegemony by supporting local militias.

The Islamic Republic needs a continuous, though limited, standoff with the outside to repress its own people inside while exporting political Islam in the region. The Arab countries feel disappointed and threatened by respectively the US and the IRI.

Arab countries let by Saudi Arabia are perplexed by IRI's policy. King Abdullah has repeatedly expressed his concerns about IRI's political and military ambitions in the region. He wants that the IRI to suspend its nuclear programmes, leave Iraq alone, and do not cause Shiite agitations in the region.

In this perspective, the IRI's seniors now stir up the situation by blaming the US and UK of being behind the bomb blast in a "Hosseinieh" (Shiite mosque for religious ceremony). This was firstly reported an accident due to explosive left after an exhibition of arms. Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei repeated on Saturday that the saboteurs have been armed and trained to destabilise the country.

The potential for wreaking havoc is fatal because IRI's meddling in the region can easily result in civil wars in countries like Lebanon, and can escalate into a wider regional conflict between Sunnites and Shiites. And if one adds Iran's nuclear aspirations into the mix, then their meddling will rise to a whole new catastrophic level.

Keeping the IRI in check will not be easy. its political ambitions are fired up by ideological conviction. Whenever you mix politics with ideology you're in for one hell of a thrill ride. If the world, including the Arab world, is able to come together with enough pressure on the ruling elite, they may stop the IRI from pursuing the ultimate goals, without violence. But the history in this regard is not encouraging; the fate of Palestine, violations of all UN resolutions by Israel to withdraw the occupied lands and a state of Palestine remain all on the other side of coin.

The IRI and Israel are the two benefactors of regional conflicts.