The Iranian regime has included a bizarre condition in its negotiations with the United States of America (USA) – compensation from the latter and regional countries – even though Iran provoked the attack through its crimes over five decades, dragging the Middle East, USA and the world into a crisis, which affected the global economy, exacerbated inflation, and brought the specter of systematic famine to the forefront.
Earlier, we talked a lot about the stalling tactics of Iran and its attempts to force the other side into a single option – accepting the Iranian viewpoint, even if it takes years. However, this approach is no longer effective in the current international climate.
The world is changing rapidly, crises are unfolding, and policies are shifting. In the current Iranian situation, Tehran has few options to compel the world to accept its conditions regarding the nuclear program, ballistic missiles, sponsorship of terrorist groups or the payment of compensation to those who have been practicing extortion for 47 years. The correct logic is that Iran should pay compensation to its neighboring countries, and to the countries it has destabilized -- Lebanon since 1984, Iraq since 2003, Syria since 1980, Yemen since 2011 or the Gulf states where its proxies have committed numerous acts of terrorism, directly or indirectly, from the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War up to the present day.
In international law, certain crimes like acts of terrorism have no statute of limitations. Therefore, when the Iranian regime makes compensation a condition, it is attempting to reach a regional settlement regarding its past crimes. Undoubtedly, this is unacceptable for the Arab Gulf states, which will not relinquish their legitimate demands, the most important of which are maintaining stability in the region and ending political tensions between the Arab Gulf states and Iran. While the Gulf capitals have always avoided provoking the Iranian people due to geographic realities, the brazen demand of Iran for compensation must be met with a similar response.
This means that Tehran must pay for the damages it inflicted on the Gulf states, which it attacked while they were working hard to mend the rift and prevent their territories from being used to attack Iran. On the other hand, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has started to cause a global food crisis. The damage will not be limited to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as it will extend to the entire world.
In a recent report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the United Nations stated that the continuous closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a shock to the global food system, and that the effects will begin to appear within six to 12 months. What does this mean? The Tehran regime caused the starvation of millions by closing the vital waterway.
If closing the waterway for 85 days led to such a crisis, its continuous closure will exacerbate the situation; hence, Iran is committing international genocide by weaponizing starvation. Moreover, the countries affected by the global food crisis have the right to demand compensation from Iran, which must cease its intimidation tactics and stalling. In the end, Iran will face numerous financial claims, and the billions of dollars in its accounts in banks worldwide will not suffice. Its people will continue to bear the cost of the wars instigated by the current regime for decades to come. Finally, the world must not lift sanctions on Iran and must freeze its assets until it pays compensation to the countries it has ravaged
