Even the most charitable observer of Iranian foreign policy must now concede that the Islamic Republic made a mistake last Sunday. By allowing an angry mob to ransack the Saudi embassy in Tehran – and “allow” is the right word, given how tightly controlled the diplomatic areas of the city are – the Iranian government was seeking to send a strong message and, at the same time, evade responsibility for that message.
But the response from countries near and far this week has shown Tehran what its neighbours and the international community expect. If Iran wants to come in from the cold, it must play by the rules.
That message was sent by many Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey and Sudan, but especially by the GCC. Every other country in the GCC has rallied around Saudi Arabia, either by downgrading their diplomatic representation with Tehran or issuing clear statements denouncing the embassy attack. It is a show of unity by a group of countries who occasionally see their interests diverging.
Like any group of countries bound by ties of family, friendship and trade, the GCC has occasional disagreements, most recently between Qatar and other member countries. But on this, Qatar is shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the Gulf. And for a simple reason.
Tehran has made interfering in the affairs of its neighbours a cornerstone of its foreign policy, as demonstrated by the Iran-linked terror cell that was discovered and dismantled in Bahrain this week. No country in the region – no country in the world – can tolerate constant interference in its affairs, and Qatar recognises that it will not be able to implement its ambitious development goals if it is constantly having to watch for the tentacles of Tehran.
That show of unity caps an extraordinary week in Gulf diplomacy, ahead of an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh tomorrow to discuss Iran – a meeting complicated by Tehran accusing the Saudi-led coalition of targeting an air strike on its embassy in the Yemeni city of Sanaa yesterday. Whatever the outcome of that meeting, the GCC is more united today than it has been for some time, and that is thanks to the meddling of Iran. Whatever disagreements there are between the six members, there are far greater challenges and opportunities that bind us.
