Arab World Losing Patience with Iran

On July 6th, the UAE's ambassador to America publicly stated what has previously been expressed only in private: that a nuclear Iran is a threat to the Arab world.

On July 6th, Yousef Al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said that the benefits of bombing Iran’s nuclear program outweigh the short term costs of such an attack.

Ambassador Al-Otaiba's startling remarks were made during the current Aspen Ideas Festival in the U.S. and reported in a story by Eli Lake of the Washington Times.

Explaining his lack of confidence in the use of sanctions in response to Iran’s nuclear program, Ambassador Al-Otaiba said:

Talk of containment and deterrence really concerns me and makes me very nervous…Why should I be led to believe that deterrence and containment will work?

Ambassador Al-Otaiba noted that Iran has not been deterred from supporting terrorist groups like Hamas and Hizbullah now when it lacks nuclear weapons.  He questioned whether Iran would be more cautious in its support for terrorists if it did possess a nuclear arsenal.

He predicted that if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, it would set off a dangerous arms race in the Middle East, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey all likely to seek nuclear weapons as well.

Asked what action should be taken against Iran’s nuclear program in the event sanctions fail, Ambassador Al-Otaiba said:

I think it's a cost-benefit analysis…there will be consequences, there will be a backlash and there will be problems with people protesting and rioting and very unhappy that there is an outside force attacking a Muslim country; that is going to happen no matter what.

He concluded by saying:

If you are asking me, 'Am I willing to live with that versus living with a nuclear Iran?,’ my answer is still the same: We cannot live with a nuclear Iran.

The remarks made by Ambassador Al-Otaiba are noteworthy for several reasons:

1. He concedes that Hamas and Hizbullah are terrorist groups, which are also supported by Iran.

2. He has expressed the concern shared by many that sanctions are unlikely to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons; and

3. It is the first time a high-ranking Arab government official has stated publicly what has only previously been expressed in private by their governments: that Iran is not just Israel’s problem; it is the world’s problem and, in particular, a danger to other Arab and Gulf nations.