Salman al-Dossary, Editor-in- Chief of al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, observed that the Iranian response to the January 1 terror attack on a Bahraini police station, killing a police officer and allowing prisoners to escape, proves that there is no basis for a constructive dialogue between the Arab Gulf states and Iran.
The Iranian government, through its “Ahl al-Bayt” satellite channel, had declared the attack “successful.” Al-Dossary argued that the Iranian statement reinforced the point that all of the efforts by the Gulf states to pursue good neighborly relations with Iran had been met by an escalation of Iranian expansionist policies.
In conclusion, al-Dossary called on the West to “stop portraying the Gulf countries as the ones who refuse to participate in dialogue that is not beneficial and only beautifies the ugliness of the Iranian regime.”
Comment:
Despite a broad, international interest in exploring possibilities to reduce tensions between Iran and the G.C.C. states, improved relations will be impossible as long as Iran blatantly interferes in the internal affairs of its neighbors and openly welcomes brutal attacks on their institutions.
