Can Iran's Resistance Bring Peace to the Middle East?
TEHERAN – The US-Israel war against Iran has sparked new projections about the security architecture of the Gulf and Middle East region. Several officials and analysts believe the conflict is not only reshaping Iran’s relations with Gulf Arab states but also creating opportunities for a more autonomous regional structure free from Washington’s dominance.
The United States has long been deeply involved in the Middle East’s geopolitical dynamics. A Middle East expert from George Washington University wrote in his book ‘America’s Middle East: The Ruination of a Region’ that the US initially entered the Middle East in the 1950s to contain the Soviet Union and its communist ideology in the region.
Since then, the US has repeatedly intervened in the Middle East’s security, political, and economic affairs. Rather than bringing prosperity, these repeated actions have devastated the region through various wars and economic sanctions.
Despite claiming to be a champion of democracy, the US has not hesitated to support autocratic regimes in pursuit of its interests. Currently, not a single Middle Eastern or Gulf state is free from US influence.
However, the US attacks on Iran and Iran’s resistance are said to mark a turning point in this influence. Notably, the US has proven powerless to protect its client states from Iran’s retaliatory strikes on American bases in the region.
Former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohsen Rezaei, has even labelled the conflict as a sign of ‘American decline in the Middle East’. In an interview with semi-official Tasnim news agency, Rezaei stated that for the first time since World War II, the superpower is experiencing a significant setback.
‘America will never return to its former self,’ said Rezaei, who is now a member of Iran’s Expediency Council and military advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
He also praised Tehran’s negotiators for continuing to fight for the rights of the Iranian people, despite Iran’s military and IRGC remaining on full alert.