Saudi Columnist: Bomb Iran Now, Let Chips Fall Where They May

In his August 4, 2008 column in the liberal Arab e-journal Elaph, Saudi columnist Saleh Al-Rashed argued that the Gulf states should urge the West to attack Iran before it acquires nuclear weapons.

Following are excerpts from the column: (1)

A Nuclear Iran is Like a Nuclear Bin Laden

"'There's no avoiding what there's no avoiding' – this adage came to mind when I read the pronouncement by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad 'Ali Ja'fari, who said: 'My country is easily capable of closing the Straits of Hormuz, the main passageway for oil freighters, if the country is attacked due to its nuclear program.'

"In my estimation, confronting this country, which is trying to gain the time necessary to acquire nuclear weapons, is unavoidable. The possession of nuclear weapons by a state like Iran, which is ideological to the core, is more or less like Osama bin Laden having a nuclear bomb. They are two of a kind. Despite the difference in their turbans and in their religious beliefs, the end result is the same.

"Perhaps it is our bad luck that we [i.e. Saudi Arabia] and the Gulf states would be the first to suffer from a military confrontation with Iran and from its response, and the problem would become even more grave if Iran succeeded in closing the Straits of Hormuz, as the IRGC commander threatened. But our situation with Iran is like that of the sick man who refuses to have his illness treated with cauterization. Yes, the pain of the burning is horrible, but this malady can only be treated through this military confrontation –cauterization.

"History has taught us that ideological countries only pay heed to victory over their ideology… They never accept any halfway situation, even when they find themselves on the brink of disaster."

"Confrontation Is The Solution"; "The Absolute Priority Must Be Our Strategic Security in the Gulf"

"Confrontation is the solution, and there is no solution but confrontation. The game of the carrot and the stick played by the U.S. and E.U. will be to no avail.

"At present, we are suffering from two things: Iran's attempts [to gain] regional hegemony, and its attempts to impose its influence via its sectarian allies – the fifth column of Arab Shi'ite fundamentalists. Imagine what Iran's influence, hegemony, and fifth column would be like if Iran had a nuclear bomb.

"Perhaps it is a strange coincidence that, this time around, our strategic interests coincide with those of Israel. The regime of the mullahs in Iran is our enemy, and at the same time it is an enemy not just of Israel, but of world peace and security.

"I know that the Arab demagogues stand together indiscriminately with anyone who is against Israel and America. But we need to not be swept away by these demagogues as we were in the past. This time, the absolute priority must be our strategic security in the Gulf, which is threatened by Iran – even if this comes at the expense of the Palestinian cause.

"In politics, nothing prevents you from allying with the devil for the sake of your interests. This is what confronting the Iranian danger – which is close – demands of us. This issue, in my estimation, cannot suffer delay or hesitation. Every passing day benefits Iran.

"Thus, we need to push the world powers, and especially the U.S. and the E.U., towards military confrontation to neutralize the Iranian enemy, whatever the cost, before the nuclear bomb makes it too late – even if it is against the will of the Arabs of the north."

Endnote:
(1) www.elaph.com, August 4, 2008.

From Monkey in the Middle:

Israel sees this threat, Saudi Arabia sees this threat, Dubai sees this threat, why can't the rest of the world see this threat? What scares them so about Iran right now? When Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad 'Ali Ja'fari, says: 'My country is easily capable of closing the Straits of Hormuz, the main passageway for oil freighters, if the country is attacked due to its nuclear program.' It is taken too seriously by the West. For the closing of the Straits of Hormuz would harm Iran more than any other nation. It is the only way for Iranian oil to be shipped out of Iran. There are no pipelines leaving Iran for other areas of the world. The proposed Iran to India pipeline has not been built and it doesn't look like it will be built in the near future. With no other way to ship their oil, closing the Straits of Hormuz would be economic suicide for any nation. For a nation bent on self-destruction it would be just another nail in the coffin.

It is strange to see a Saudi journalist side with Israel and even say: This time, the absolute priority must be our strategic security in the Gulf, which is threatened by Iran – even if this comes at the expense of the Palestinian cause. The cause of the so-called Palestinian people have been a rally point for Muslims these last 40+ years. To hear Saleh Al-Rashed say that the needs and cause of the so-called Palestinians is not the greatest concern and might even be forgotten if the Iranian threat is removed gives wonder to what the governments of the Gulf States are really thinking and wishing might happen. And remember that anything that is published or aired on television is first cleared with the Saudi government censors.

Before any real rejoicing can begin in Jerusalem there must also be changes in the way that the Gulf States promote anti-Semitism in their media and a real meaningful dialog must begin between the nations of the Gulf States and Israel. A start could be the heads of state of each of the Gulf State nations actually visiting Israel in advance of full recognition and full diplomatic acceptance .