BICOM

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned as “provocative” a visit last week by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a disputed Gulf island, after an emergency meeting in Qatar yesterday. The meeting of the GCC, which comprises the Arab Gulf states, was in response to Ahmadinejad’s visit  to the tiny island of Abu Musa. The island is one of three which the UAE claims are its territory, but which were occupied by Iran in 1971. The GCC statement described the visit as a, “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates,” and added that, “Any aggression on the sovereignty or interference in the internal affairs of a member country would be considered as an attack on all member countries and interference in their affairs.”  Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad said in a speech marking Iranian army day yesterday that, “The armed forces and the army will inflict heavy regret and shame in case of any aggression against Iranian lands and interests.”

The flare up reflects deep underlying tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbours. As the largest and most populous state in the region, Iran sees itself as the natural hegemonic power in the Gulf, and seeks to dominate its smaller, oil and gas rich Arab neighbours. Nationalist, ethnic, and strategic differences between the largely Sunni Arab Gulf states, and Iran, which is majority Persian and Shia, contribute to considerable mutual suspicion and antipathy. The Arab Gulf states have important economic and security ties to the West, including the UK. They rely on Western military support, including the large US military presence in the region, to balance the threat posed by Iran. Were Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, it would considerably strengthen Iran’s hand against their Western allied Arab neighbours.