Iran has attacked them with ballistic missiles and drones; destroyed several key parts of their economic infrastructure; set several of their ships ablaze; paralysed their economy; killed civilians and terrorized their populations… including children.
Iran targeting Israel again?
No! These are Arab states in and around the Persian Gulf: Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Saudi Arabia that have been repeatedly attacked/hit by Iran.
They have each suffered tremendously and spent millions of dollars in launching missiles and rockets trying … only partially successfully … to shoot down Iran’s and its Houthi proxy’s missiles/drones sustained aggression against them.
And yet, not one of them has fired a single shot against the tyrants in Iran!
Instead, as usual, the Arab Sunni dictatorships of the Middle East have left it to the United States and Israel to do their dirty work: stop the fanatical Shia ayotollahs of Iran from developing the nuclear bomb that would … without doubt … be used to dominate, blackmail and extort these Sunni neighbors FIRST then Israel and , with long-range ballistic missiles, the entire Western world next.
In fact, there are news reports that behind the scenes the Arab nations of the Gulf are egging on the US and Israel to “finish the job“…. as long as they themselves don’t have to take part.
What hypocrites!
US President Donald Trump should be singling out the Arab states of the Gulf … not NATO … for direct action to assist in the war against the Iranian mullahs.
After all, it’s THEIR oil that is being held hostage!
It’s THEIR infrastructure, THEIR cities, THEIR ships, THEIR people, THEIR economies … not just Israel’s … that are being targeted, hit, crippled by Iran.
Not NATO’s!
Trump may not know it, but NATO is a DEFENSIVE organization: its Charter clearly states (Article 5) that an attack by any nation against one member shall be regarded as an attack against all.
Iran did not attack thUS to start the current war: the US/Israel initiated the current hostilities by attacking Iran.
So this war does NOT strictly qualify under Article 5 for NATO participation.
I get it: Iran has been attacking Israel and the US … and also targeted several NATO nations … with both overt and covert operations for decades.
Iran today is a terrible country, run by terrible people , who have done/sponsored terrible things against other nations and even their own people.
It deserves to be isolated, sanctioned, economically crippled… and, yes, its secret attempts to build a nuclear weapon deserve to be stopped, by whatever means necessary.
And yes, the NATO nations should allow the US to use their airspace and airfields during the conduct of the current war.
But again, what about the Arab nations of the Gulf that have now been attacked by Iran?
Since the US/Trump did not consult, seek participation from NATO before launching the massive attack on Iran, he has no legal authority to now demand they join in.
But surely, it is the Gulf Arab nations’ duty … not NATO’s … to stand up to defend themselves, their countries, their people … and shoot back!
Could it be that the US President is giving these countries a “free pass” because he or his family members have lucrative economic ties with them?
No doubt it’s easier to pick on/threaten NATO than those whose interests are far more directly tied to the conflict.
However, at some point history … if not the working press today … will ask where all these oil-producing Arab nations were during this war ?
Harv Oberfeld
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