Speaking to the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Basim Shariatmadar said: In Lebanon, many political currents and, consequently, the people, did not even take part in the protest demonstrations. In recent days, in Iraq, Najaf tribes and popular militias have come out and demonstrated to protect these sites in the face of threats against Najaf Ashraf and some holy places and residences of the religious authorities.

He added: “Obviously those who commit these acts are usually the ones the media pay most attention to and by blowing up the event they try to generalize it to the whole of Iraqi society, while this is not the right view.” In Iran too, after the announcement on the rise in gas prices, we witnessed tensions that cannot reflect the wishes of the whole Iranian society, and cannot even represent the protests on increasing the gas prices let alone the whole Iranian society.

“We have seen strong and solid reports on regional and trans-regional forces, in particular Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Zionist regime – in some cases – the US in recent events in Iraq,” the Middle East affairs analyst added.

“In addition, according to news reports what happened in Nasiriyah was due to the prison in that area and the presence of 4,000 Takfiri-terrorist forces in the prison and that they are to be released and continue to carry out terrorist acts,” he added. There were also reports that prison guards had changed and a person in charge who has better relationship with the United States has reduced the number of prison guards, and so on.

Shariatmadar said: According to reports, Americans are seeking to rally Sunni provinces against the Shiites and wage sectarian warfare and even train military troops. Also, for example, attacks against the authority and personality of Ayatollah Sistani, and even threats against the sanctities, whether in Najaf, Karbala, and the shrine of one of the four deputies of the Absent Imam (AS), and even the shrine of martyr Hakim and other places show that they cannot represent the Iraqi people, who, for example, represent the passion and epic of Imam Hussein (AS) for the sake of Arbaeen. There are many reports about the US Embassy’s interference and the efforts of their cyber army and other measures they are taking.

“Anyway, after the victory of the (1979) Islamic Revolution in Iran, the issue of Palestine returned to the political arena in the region and was placed atop the issues of the Islamic Ummah and the Islamic World,” he said. The call for the fight against the Zionist regime and the return of the Palestinians and restoration of their rights were placed on the agenda of the Resistance Front. Much has happened during these forty years, leading to the formation of a resistance front from Tehran to Beirut and other countries.

“Today we are witnessing the project of resistance to occupation and the Zionist regime, global arrogance and reactionary regimes that consider their existence and continuity in following the US and in complying with the Zionist regime,” Shariatmadar said. The Islamic Revolution of Iran triumphed just after the Camp David Accord, and over the years from Camp David to Oslo and Madrid and other issues, the process of reconciliation in the region faced resistance from this front, which extended from Iran to the Middle East. However, this front succeeded in destroying many of America’s plans, and of course many efforts to confront the Resistance failed.

The regional affairs expert said that after the end of the Cold War, the Americans wanted to exercise the unipolar approach and dominate the world, but were opposed by this new Islamic uprising, stating: First, there were major military threats against Iran but they failed. They then thought that they should eliminate the scope of this current and thus waged the 33-day war against Hezbollah in Lebanon; but the war led to the withdrawal of the Zionist regime and further strengthened the Hezbollah. After that, the Americans were determined to break the Resistance Front and created crises in Syria. This time too they failed; so in recent years they have resorted to soft war against Iran.

Shariatmadar emphasized that the arrogant powers felt that if the Resistance Front was strengthened and the links between different regions were consolidated, their project would face more serious threats. Therefore, they created ISIS in Iraq but faced the fierce resistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran followed by decrees issued by religious authorities and the resistance of the popular mobilization forces.

He added: “They ultimately failed to separate Iraq from the Resistance Front and today what is happening in Iraq is actually an attempt at a soft war against Iraqi society using the contradictions that exist in Iraq. “They are trying to detach Iraq from the chain by overcoming the problems that exist within Iraq, such as widespread corruption – which is partly due to the corruption of the United States and the kind of government they installed in Iraq. They want to cut the chain so that the two its two ends are not interconnected and use sophisticated methods such as the Shiite-Shiite war. Today we see the Kurdish and Sunni provinces facing almost no problems and the problem is in the Shiite provinces.

Shariatmadar continued: The use of special groups to create violence, murder and destruction of infrastructure and buildings, attacking public and private centers and intimidation are the methods they use. They attack the sacred places, and especially this time, we see attacks on the religious authority, Ayatollah Sistani and other sacred places. It is all about overthrowing the government in Iraq and returning the sovereignty to the stooges following the global arrogance in the region.

The expert added: “Of course, there are many evidences in this area; there are celebrities in fields where the opposition is gathering, whose affiliation with the US intelligence agencies is obvious and they themselves even don’t conceal it.” The role played by the UAE and especially Saudi Arabia, in distribution of money among protesters and financing this project is significant. For example, a person detained after leading an attack on the shrine of the martyr Hakim in Najaf Ashraf has confessed that he received $ 100,000 from the UAE Embassy in Baghdad to launch the attacks. This shows that they are seeking to return Iraq to its former position and cut it off the Resistance Front. If this loop is detached from the Resistance Front, further blows would follow. After Iraq and Lebanon, they are seeking to create chaos in other countries on the Resistance Front.

Shariatmadar also said in an analysis of anti-Iranian rhetoric in some rallies in Afghanistan: “One of the groups that have always sparked the sensitivity of pro-US forces in Afghanistan are the Fatemiyoun who fought in Syria and showed a lot of courage. Because they felt that with the presence of this current, the Resistance Front would extend to Afghanistan. If there is a Resistance force in Afghanistan, it could break American rules. The Americans are worried that the Resistance Front will extend from Iran to Afghanistan; however, they do not want that to happen there.

“I think the confrontation between these two currents in the region is very serious and decisive,” the Middle East analyst said in assessing the outlook for developments in these countries. These issues are in fact caused by the encounter of US-led global arrogance and the Resistance, and given the failure of the global arrogance in all previous confrontations they consider this to be a decisive one where they must do the work. Therefore, they use all the tools, including the discussion of creating division in the target societies and the attempt to create anti-Iran hate and chant slogans against Iran. Keep in mind that these slogans are just a small portion of the story.

He emphasized that this serious confrontation is fierce and persistent. He continued: “All the American efforts after the revolution were to bring Iran back into the sphere of American influence, but that did not happen.” In the last decade, this confrontation has taken place in an open and serious manner, using all the possibilities in the region, but neither side has been able to force the other out of the scene. The Resistance Front, of course, has prevented many of America’s goals from being achieved, such as what happened in Syria.

Shariatmadar said: “There is little prospect of achieving some kind of peace in the region or an agreement between the parties or a deal between the countries involved, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, and in these circumstances achieving a comprehensive agreement that encompasses all the cases involved in the region, is a little out of reach. Maybe Americans like this too. Because they can make the Zionist regime more secure under these circumstances; Israel’s security is a red line for the United States; meantime, the Americans seek to milk the Persian Gulf states by increasingly arms sales. They want the countries of the region not achieve peace and stability and be involved in their own problems. For the Americans, it is certainly beneficial to continue the tension.