Hossein Akbari, in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, referred to the published news that some Arab states are trying to create a Middle East NATO with the support of the United States, noted: The Arab NATO debate has been raised for a long time, and even in 2011, this issue was seriously raised by the Arab countries for the defense of regions that were affected by the developments of the Islamic Awakening and meetings were held by the Arab League; but the United States openly opposed its formation.
Saying that the United States and the Zionist regime are highly afraid of the unity of the Islamic world and the creation of any organization with such orientation, he added: What was discussed at the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting under the title of the formation of “Arab NATO” with the presence of the United States and the Zionist regime, is more propaganda and media maneuvers of the Israelis who want to show that Arab countries have aligned with them and they have solved their problems with the Islamic World.
The expert on West Asia affairs pointed to the chaotic internal conditions of the Zionist regime and the defeats it has suffered against the Resistance and continued: Before Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, the Zionist regime is trying its best to make it look like there are agreements to establish relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh and negotiations for this purpose have already been finalized; therefore, other countries should also join this camp and after that, a joint power in terms of military and politics will be formed against the Resistance.
Akbari emphasized: The US has stripped the Arab states of their wealth, honor and dignity, yet it has not succeeded in providing security for them, and although they entered every project with all their might, they have only tasted defeat. What different action do they want to take now? Can it support Saudi Arabia against Yemen or give guarantees to some Arab countries such as the UAE that it will defend them with its military power and security and international power? The United States has been unable to support those countries against Yemen, which is completely besieged and does not have military power and advanced defense technology. Now, in the same situation, Yemen has a double defense power.
Saying that the Zionist regime is facing serious threats from inside of the occupied Palestine and its threats are not merely external, he noted: Under the current situation, even if the Arab NATO is formed, what help can it give to this regime.
The former Iranian ambassador in Libya reminded: Can the coalition that is proposed as the “Arab NATO” be stronger than the one that went to war against Bashar Assad in Syria in terms of the number of manpower and weapons and military technology? They were defeated in that field, in a situation where Syria was completely weak.
Akbari added: It seems that their main issue is to be able to create an ability against Iranian missiles, drones and the regional power of the Resistance Front; but it should be kept in mind for those who failed in Syria and are now extremely vulnerable in Iraq, and their bases in the region are severely endangered, and the United States, which has experienced numerous failures in West Asia and finds itself under pressure from China and Russia, that what capability can the formation of a military coalition add?
The expert on West Asia affairs said: What is being proposed as the Arab NATO is a political maneuver to get out of the passive state to show that they are in a position of power. While the Arab countries were in alliance with the United States and the Israeli regime until now and cooperated and supported and had defined various joint projects. Even such relations have been stronger than what is formed in NATO, but it has not been able to change the power equation.
Referring to some analyzes regarding the US strategy to create a coalition that provides its interests by proxy in the Middle East, in a situation where it is forced to increase its focus on East Asia, he clarified: The United States spent all its energy with its direct presence in the Middle East and failed to achieve certain goals it intended to achieve, how can it vicariously pursue those goals better than what they were before? The United States sent a huge amount of weapons and military bases to the region and made them available to the Arab countries, but now the situation has not progressed as planned and has failed; at the same time, the experience of Afghanistan cannot be ignored.
Akbari pointed to the disputes of the Arab countries and their fundamental differences in strategy and interests regarding various issues and added: The Arab countries of the region have lost the trust they had in the United States before. They are sure that the US does not have the strength of the past and they must think independently to ensure their security. Just as Europe has come to this belief, but it is unable to act. Certainly, the importance of Europe’s solidarity and alliance is more strategic for the US than the Arab countries of the Middle East. Arab countries are witnessing the experience of Europe.
The former Iranian diplomat emphasized: the political maneuver that the Americans are doing under the title of “Arab NATO” is because they are very worried about the developments outside the West Asian region and they think that they should manage the situation in the Middle East to deal with their external and internal crises. In fact, the United States is trying to reduce its conflicts in other regions and the Zionist regime is also trying to secure its surrounding environment with regard to internal crises.