On Friday, the House of Representatives of the US imposed a ban on President Trump from using any federal funds in a war campaign against Iran unless he receives congressional approval for a strike. It also placed a ban on UAE and Saudi Arabia with regard to the purchase of air to ground munitions from the US for the use in the Yemen war.
Iran should therefore reciprocate by focusing on what the legislative arm of the state in US is doing rather than engaging in a war of words with the executive arm. The leadership in both the US and Iran should know that governments should not be equated with their people. Governments come and go, but the people remain. Hence the best way to handle international relations is to focus on what serves the interest of the people of states. Nuclear proliferation is not in the interest of the people of the world.
The Iranian people who are being starved of development by sanctions would gain nothing from nuclear proliferation. The road to world Peace is not to overstretch the policy of my enemy’s friend is my enemy and thus counter US threat by preparing for war with Israel. The middle East is already in flames. If US, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel are plunged into war, we will have another two decades that would wipe out the current political landscape in the middle beyond recognition.
The road to peace is to recognise the right to self- determination and independence of each people in the middle east including the Palestinians and further ensure an environment of peaceful coexistence between sovereign states and their people. This is the way forward. Any US executive that recognises this fact and pursue it in its foreign policy drive would leave a legacy. Obama was tied in a knot but was gradually moving into such a foreign policy framework. The US is in need of an executive that moves towards such a framework. Will it have it? Will the Congress reposition itself to take the lead. The future will tell.
