publish time

03/11/2015

publish time

03/11/2015

Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

WHAT would Iran’s future be if the regime of Mullahs in Iran had not become captive of its own ideology and not jumped on the bandwagon to export its revolution but instead worked over the past few decades to develop the infrastructure of the country which has remained stagnant since the time of the Shah?

What would happen if this regime had not dug deep and dragged itself into the eight-year war with Iraq and the region which killed millions of people and crippled, wounded or displaced double the number and made them victims of dark destiny which they continue to live till today?

Instead of all this, the Mullahs regime could have banked on the skills of its laborers and modernized its industries, education and health.

What if from the beginning this regime had cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and thrown open the doors for inspection of its nuclear activity or the so-called ‘peaceful nuclear project’? Not just that but listened to the advice of the geologists on areas where the reactors are built.

Wouldn’t all this spare the Iranians and save them from the suffocating economic crisis the after effects of which are visible even after the sanctions imposed by the international community on Tehran have been lifted?

Would it not be better for Tehran to spend billions of dollars on development of the nation instead of indulging in terrorist activities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain; instead of feeding gangs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq; instead of deploying armed forces in Damascus to kill the Syrians and instead of supporting al-Qaeda and providing a safe haven for the terrorist leaders in Tehran since all this is too difficult to achieve?

Instead of all this Tehran should have established good relations with its neighbors to make Iran one of the most effective economies in the world instead of being internationally isolated?

Those who followed closely the behavior of Tehran since 1979 will see an atrocious replica to the Jamal AbdulNasser system of rule — the man who had filled the skies of his country and the Arab world with empty slogans but when the time came to face the reality, he could not stand the Israeli army, which was ironically just one-fifth of the strength of the Egyptian army.

The 1967 war between Egypt and Israel was a ‘bloody act’ but the price paid by the Egyptians was too high. It is obvious Tehran has been playing the same game through direct or proxy wars. It was a big failure because the living conditions of its citizens have been getting worse by every passing day and the percentage of executions has been increasing.

The prisons are filled to the brim with politicians, prisoners of conscience and the streets are crowded with drug addicts.

According to statistics the percentage of crime has shot up considerably and crimes related to poverty over the past decade has risen by 63 percent. Does all this mean the Iranian society is suffering from severe crisis to the extent the country is unable to protect its citizens?

This miserable of the country situation should push the regime of Mullahs to reconsider all its options and stop putting money on murderers and terrorists to achieve fictitious objectives.

The Mullahs must heed the advice of the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and stop interfering in the affairs of the neighboring countries, withdraw their troops and militias from Syria and Iraq, stop supporting terrorist groups starting with al-Qaeda to Hezbollah in Lebanon and their pro-militias in Iraq and Yemen, to the Islamic State or the so-called DAESH.

Everybody knows that DAESH was born in the Iranian womb. The world will not remain for long with hands crossed. Patience is running out because the spark of Iranian terrorism has reached far and wide.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times