In politics you have to forget the rhetoric and focus on actions. Only actions matter. Case in point, Iran-Iraq trade is slated to hit 15 Billion dollars this year having risen from 4 Billion in 2009. That’s something like 10% of Iraq’s GDP or almost 5% of Iran’s GDP!!According to Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Danifar, electricity exports as well as oil derivatives, including diesel fuel and kerosene, accounted for three billion dollars out of the total figure, while non-oil exports constituted $8 billion. He added that more than 1.4 million Iranians traveled to Iraq last year – out of whom 1.2 million paid a visit to the shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf, while the rest visited Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Danifar further said that 740,000 Iraqis traveled to Iran during this period, which is a considerable figure, given Iraq’s population of over 30 million.
There are now over 140 flights between Tehran and Baghdad on a weekly basis.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran’s trade ties with Iraq as ‘ever increasing,’ saying there exist “abundant capacities” for cooperation between the two countries. And, Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki has publicly declared, there are no barriers to closer ties between Iran and Iraq.
I say all this because, the rhetoric from the West at least is of further tightening of sanctions, and real limits being put on trade with Iran. Yet, Iraq, a U.S. ally; a country recently ‘liberated’ by the U.S. to the tune of over 1 Trillion dollars in military expenses; a country that is still receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid from the U.S.; a country that was at War with Iran for over 8 years only a few decades ago and together with Iran had over 1 million casualties in the war – is now one of Iran’s closest allies …with no limits imposed by the U.S. on Iraq for closer ties to Iran.
It doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t make sense. Why?
Then take the case of Afghanistan. In 2009 Iran was the fourth largest investor in Afghanistan, which involved the construction of roads and bridges as well as agriculture and health care.
According to the chairman of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries: Iran’s exports to Afghanistan in 2008 stood at $800 million. Iran’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Behrooz Alishiri said, economic and trade relations between Afghanistan and Iran should not be affected due to political relations with the other nations. The trade exchange between Afghanistan and Iran has reached to over $1 billion annually.
To put this into perspective, this is 10% of Afghanistan’s GDP. And, moreover, Afghanistan imports 90 percent of its needs, except agricultural products.
Again, consider all this at a time when we hear in the Media that the U.S. and its allies are imposing “crushing” sanctions on Iran. Hilary Clinton just last week announced a ‘formal” alliance with Afghanistan.
Again despite the rhetoric, real trade between Iran and Afghanistan is rising. Does that make sense? Why?
And, contrary to the media reports the Assad regime is NOT gone in Syria. Assad remains in power. Yes, his regime still holds on to power, and the dissidents are sitting in Turkey outside Syria. In some ways, the ‘civil war’ in Syria and recent defections is actually cleaning up the Assad regime and creating a new ‘more loyal’ and ‘more effective’ government apparatus that will be even stronger in ‘holding power’ in Syria – not less – in the future. There are absolutely no signs of a military intervention by the West like in Libya. The West is saying one thing and actually doing the complete opposite in Syria.
If Assad remains in power, most Middle East scholars predict the rise of a Shiite Iran-Iraq-Syria axis. Indeed, Iran today, is flying across Iraq’s air space to support the Syrian government with critical supplies. This axis exists today. And this axis would challenge not only Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Persian Gulf states for control of the region – but more importantly challenge Israel. For once in the past 50 years, Israel may have a formidable force challenging it on its Eastern border.
And here we are – right at the heart of the matter. Israel. Most experienced and wise professors of current Middle-East history will tell you: everything that happens in the Middle East is ultimately connected to Israel in some shape of form.
None of this makes sense, because the West is playing a nasty game of deception. The sanctions are meaningless. Iran’s government gets stronger every day.
The plan, my friends, is to ultimately challenge Israel. That is why! Iran is being supported in its effort to create a bomb. Iran is being supported in its plan to bridge across to Syria with influence and power (helping Assad in his time of need). Iran is forging extremely close relations with Iraq. It’s all very real. And this is not good for Iran. History has already taught everyone that Israel will not be conquered. This is a battle Iran will ultimately lose. And the result of this is that Iran will be broken up into 5 ethnic sub-nations. This will not be good.
Iranians need to focus on Central Asia, not the Middle East. We need to walk away from a drift to the West through Arabia. Iranians have no business alligning with Syria, Lebanon, Hamas, Hezbollah…etc. We need to be running in a different direction. Fast.
