Haaretz: ISIS Assault on Tehran May Lead to Surprising Alliances in the Middle East
Islamic State terrorists struck the Iranian parliament and Khomeini shrine in Tehran, leaving 17 dead. Throughout the region and stretching into Afghanistan and beyond, the terrorist group has targeted Shias, moderate Muslims and anyone that does not agree with their extremist goals. Conspiracy theories abound, and war in Syria has fueled extremism, attracting jihadist fighters from around the globe and proxy fighting by regional powers. New alliances have formed – including Turkey and Russia, and Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The United States, urging nations to combat terrorism, should take steps to encourage Iran to consider how the two countries’ interests are aligned. “If the American (and global) interest is to act together against ISIS and radical Islamic terror, Iran can and should be part of this alignment,” writes Zvi Bar'el for Haaretz. “This approach could shake up Saudi Arabia, which initiated the Arab boycott on Qatar with the excuse that the latter is supporting terror and cooperating with Iran. If Iran now becomes a state that fights terror, the case against Qatar will also fall apart.” Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has promised to improve relations with all states, and the international community must give Iran this chance. – YaleGlobal
Haaretz: ISIS Assault on Tehran May Lead to Surprising Alliances in the Middle East
ISIS attacks on parliament and Khomeini shrine should change how the US sees Iran – and encourage both countries to see how their interests are aligned
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Zvi Bar’el is the Middle Eastern affairs analyst for Haaretz Newspaper. He is a columnist and a member of the editorial board. Previously he has been the managing editor of the newspaper, the correspondent in Washington and has also covered the Occupied Territories. He has been with Haaretz since 1982, and has written extensively on the Arab and Islamic world. In 2009, he was awarded the Sokolov prize for lifetime achievement in print journalism. Bar’el has a PhD in the History of the Middle East. He teaches at Sapir Academic College and is a research fellow at the Truman Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as at the Center for Iranian Studies.
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