Tillerson's visit to ME, unreflected in world, ineffective on Iran

Rex Tillerson hopes to create a coalition that his predecessors failed to form in the past few decades.

Like in the past decades, the US most noticeable policy in the Middle East is to count on Saudi Arabia's financial power and political leverage in the Arab countries. Thereupon, his first destination was Saudi Arabia, like US President Donald Trump's a few months ago.

Tillerson participated in Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh; referring to the end of Daesh in Iraq, he called for the end of Popular Mobilization Forces and said they 'need to go home'. Although the approach to alienate Iraq from Iran is not a new approach, it seems Iran's all-out support for Iraq has been useful and has led to Daesh defeat and retreat in the region, which has turned to be US biggest worry.

Following US policies to limit Iran, Tillerson tries to estrange Iraq from Iran, and to show their friendship with and dependence on Iran through empty promises as pointless.

The other factor that is on the US mind and made Tillerson take another trip to the region is prolongtion of Qatar crisis; the crisis has caused a deep rift between Arab states and pushed Qatar toward Iran.

Tillerson tried to exaggerate the fabricated threat of Iran to pave the way for talks between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but didn’t prevail; after he arrived in Qatar, he talked about the lack of serious will for restoration of peace and removal of sanctions.

His worries are not restricted to the region; Europeans' reactions to Trump's last week's remarks about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Iran and their support for Iran put the US in a kind of fear of strategic isolation.

Affronting the UN, the EU, the IAEA, that had certified Iran compliance eight times, and all the countries in the world, Trump decertified the internationally achieved JCPOA.

Since quitting its voluntary isolation in the early 20th century, the US has never been so criticized and without strategic allies. Therefore, it is natural for the US to be attracted to the areas aligned with it and seek strengthening of ties and coalitions with countries supporting US policies.

The analogy between the US and the Persian Gulf Arab states is the fact that both lack public acceptance. The Persian Gulf states, with the Saudis on top, are being severely criticized due to their belligerence and violation of human rights in Yemen and also sanctioning Qatar.

The US has lost face and allies more than ever after Trump took office and began to threaten other countries with military attack, and also chose uncooperative approach toward international agreements, e.g. Paris Accord, UNESCO, and the JCPOA.

So, not only will Tillerson's visit to the Middle East have no significant influence on Iran's foothold and leverage, but it also more resembles a congregation of isolated countries who have lost public acceptance, that have gathered together due to impotence, and try to whitewash their concerns through flexing muscles for others.

*Faculty Member, University of Tehran

Translated by: Hossein Abolghasemi

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