Iran has escalated the diplomatic conflict around the ongoing Middle East crisis by alleging that five Arab Gulf states are complicit in U.S.-Israeli aggression. In an official letter sent to the United Nations, Iran is demanding compensation from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Jordan for their supposed complicity in the use of their land for attacks on Iran.
Iran’s Key Allegation Against The Five Arab States
According to Iranian state-affiliated media reports, Iran’s representative at the United Nations Amir-Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the Security Council, alleging that Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Jordan have assisted U.S.-Israeli aggressors in attacking Iran by allowing their land and airspace to be used in these hostilities.
Iran claimed there was a violation of international law so that the five states could not legally claim the right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter against the country in these circumstances. It also indicated that it was the victim of aggression and has the right to engage in self-defence by its own right as an inherent right of self-defence.
Iran’s embassies announced that it had alleged “illegal armed attacks by those countries” at before civilian non-military sites within Iran. The Iranian Mission to the UN has also requested these 5 countries cease their “internationally wrongful acts (i.e., illegal from an International Law perspective).
This is a significant gesture beyond rhetorical posturing. Iran is shifting the narrative from a bilateral U.S.-Iran or Israel-Iran conflict into a broader regional alliance of states that are allegedly unifying against Iran’s interests.
This shift has several ramifications:
• It makes it more difficult for Gulf states to juggle their security relationships with Washington while at the same time avoiding direct conflict with Tehran.
• The potential for retaliatory language, cyber/IT pressure, and/or proxy/indirect responses will likely increase.
• The ongoing efforts to portray Arab states as stabilizing powers in the region will be significantly impeded.
• The process of mediating between Iran and nations of the West could be negatively impacted by these recent events and actions.
Most Gulf Arab nations have, in recent years, attempted to defuse tensions with Iran by utilizing diplomatic channels, commerce, and by re-establishing relations following the upheaval of the Arab Spring in 2011. These latest statements/claims made by Iran will likely inhibit these efforts.
The Timing Is Tied To An American Pressure Campaign
The timing of these claims coincides with reports that the US has successfully resumed or initiated a naval blockade of Iranian ports as a result of the failure of US/Iran negotiations in Pakistan.
Reports have indicated that Washington is still working hard to place limitations on Tehran’s nuclear aspirations through a maritime blockade, which restricts maritime shipping and trade related to Iran. Iran has condemned the blockade as a human rights violation and issued warnings that any buildup of pressures in the Strait of Hormuz will affect global trade routes.
The way in which this has been publicly communicated appears different from how Western countries have expressed about this issue.
As Iran strives for diplomatic advantage over the USA and regional partners in the Gulf, a situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical point of oil transportation, could be economically affected for the world at large if military or political actions that involve Iran and its neighbouring countries in the Gulf are implemented.
In previous reports, global markets are closely monitoring the implications of such events in the Strait of Hormuz and any escalation in tensions between the USA and Iran.
While Iran is blaming and discrediting the USA for its demands for reparations against five named Arab countries, other conflicts continue to escalate. Hezbollah has escalated attacks using rockets and drones against Israeli military positions, and has indicated that the USA has been unsuccessful in acting as a broker between Israel and Lebanon.
On the other hand, both Hezbollah and Iranian-backed Shiite militia group activity in Iraq suggests that the same patterns of increased pressure by third countries on Iran coincide with concurrent escalations and increased military activity in third countries or Iranian-associated groups are further affecting Iran’s capability to maintain the structure of and to manage control over its economy and government.
All five of the Arab countries that have been cited in these reports as being allegedly involved with military actions against Iran have not commented publicly on these allegations. However, they are more likely to respond to the situation through the following:
• To disavow any part they may play in military actions against Iran.
• Refrain from communicating with Iran neutrally, defensively or diplomatically.
• Seek to act in conjunction with the USA, the EU and their respective Allies to further maintain their own national security and stability.
Earlier statements suggest that several Gulf countries have indicated publicly that they do not wish to have their names used as a platform to launch hostilities against Iran which demonstrates the sensitivity of this dynamic.
The larger issue for Western, Middle Eastern and Iranians is that Iran’s demand for restitution against the five Arab countries is more than a mere expression of threats. Additionally, Iran may extend a legal and diplomatic venue for restitution against the five Arab countries by naming them in a type of accountability agreement under the UN Charter.
At present it is not clear whether Iran has any posturing to support a claim for damages or whether it poses a military threat to these countries; however, the political message is clear that Iran wants to seek cost-sharing of the military engagement through the larger coalition of nations that it perceives to be aligned against it.
The coast of Iran is also home to the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) maritime commanders, who have created an already combustible environment with existing military ships deployed throughout the region with fragile diplomatic relations and numerous border crises.