It is in no one's interest in the Arab region to develop a crisis or military tension with Iran. It is also in no one's interest in the Arab region to witness the outbreak of war against Iran due to its nuclear program. On the contrary, there is an Arab consensus, at least publicly, over the need to provide necessary circumstances to establish peaceful and friendly relation with Iran, one that preserves the Arab and Iranian interests. But at the same time, we hear many Arab complaints about the fact that Tehran does not meet the Arabs with these stances. Rather, these complaints accuse Iran of meddling into the Arab affairs in the framework of expanding its power and hegemony inside the Arab world, in favor of its personal political, economic, and military interests. There are countless Arab complaints about the Iranian meddling, some of which are old ones and remain unsettled until today (such as the occupation of the Emirate islands). Others have newly emerged and are growing since the conservatives tightened their grip over power in Tehran. These complaints start from Iran's periphery in Iraq and the Gulf (Bahrain and Yemen…) and through Lebanon, as well as the Arab Maghreb, Egypt, and Sudan. The growing complaints coincided with the escalation in the nuclear file with the West. It became clear that Iran seeks to collect all the cards, including those that it might obtain in our region, in preparation of all possibilities, including the military ones. Despite these silent or loud complaints and despite the direct damage caused by the Iranian policy, the Arab side still deals with Tehran based on the fact that these crises can be contained, in a bid to avoid a direct confrontation. Whether out of weakness or conviction, it is in the [Arabs'] interest to keep away from escalation and avoid being dragged into an open confrontation. It is clear that Iran does not seek to adjust its policies in accordance with the Arab positions. It does not consider that its neighbors have rights and interests that do not necessarily conform to its rights and interests. Also, it can be concluded that Iran asks its neighbors to adjust their rights and interests according to what it considers to be its political interest, as well as placing these neighbors before difficult choices. The issue of the Iraqi oil well has highlighted the Iranian strategy in handling the crises with its Arab periphery. At the beginning, there was an absolute denial of the complaint itself. Then, Iran talked about vagueness and misunderstanding and held on to the field position, on the basis that the crisis requires negotiations that reconsider what has been adopted so far. Later, it wanted to guarantee that it obtains concessions from the other party and recognition that the current balance of power requires this reconsideration. Then, the Iranian diplomacy would speak about an Arab "misunderstanding" for its intentions, saying that the [Arabs'] rejection of its behavior is groundless; therefore moving the problem from reality to politics. Tehran thus pushes its ideology forward. It is an Islamic revolution that works for the interest of all Muslims, denying at the same time the confessional character of its meddling. For being so, the interest of the Muslims and Muslim countries should conform to the Iranian calculations. Any examination of these calculations becomes at odds with the interest of the Muslims and their countries. In this context, the Iranian diplomacy, benefiting from the hostile Israeli policy, tries to imply that facing the Israeli enemy should make its Arab neighbors overlook their problems with Iran. In other words, under the pretext of fighting Israel, [the Arabs] should accept what Iran does. It even considers that the mere raising of these crises serves Israel and the United States. Therefore, the Arab neighbors [of Iran] are placed before two choices: Either to abstain from questioning Iran's behavior and policies, or to serve the interests of Israel and the West and become treacherous. This is the core of Iran's slogan on the Arab "misunderstanding."
