The recent statements of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the United States’ (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that dismiss the possibility of war between the two sides is a temporary sigh of relief in the ever-deteriorating relations of the two sides. The statements may prove helpful in de-escalating the tensions between the two countries in the aftermath of the US president Donald Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Tehran.
But it is crucial to put the comments of Pompeo in the context of time and space. Pompeo, while he was in Russia’s city Sochi, said that his country did not seek a war with Iran. Maybe he said so not to vex Russia any further as he was in Russia to improve bilateral ties.
However, President Trump’s warning to Iran on Monday that it would suffer greatly adds to the prevailing uncertainty in the region. The situation became even worse after a “sabotage attack” on four commercial ships in the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when the US responded to the incident in a typical American manner by holding Iran responsible for the attack without explaining Iran’s involvement.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the United States is hugely isolated on Iran. The evidence in this regard is Spain’s decision to recall its frigate from the Gulf. Probably the US also knows this. Also, any military action against Iran will further deteriorate the bilateral ties between Moscow and Washington that Pompeo wants to improve.
The “maximum pressure campaign” of the US against Iran is nothing but an open threat against Iran. It’s an act of coercing and intimidating Tehran. It is surprising that the world is not seeing this pressure campaign of the US as a violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN). Article 2(4) of the charter bars member states from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of other countries.
Although the statements by both the sides about the impossibility of war are welcome, however, the environment of fear in the region that the US is creating needs to be checked by the UN in general and all other members of Security Council (SC). The US needs to rethink the aggressive approach that it has deployed to bring Iran back in “line.” Coercing Iran for signing up a new nuclear deal according to the wishes of Trump is just foolish. Trump who brags about himself as the best dealmaker should offer Iran something that she cannot refuse.