Saudi, Emirati Press: Hypocrite West Is Outraged When Iranian Drones Are Deployed In Ukraine, But Ignores Them In Middle East – 31-10-22
MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: MEMRI Dispatch No. 10289
Following reports that Russia is using Iranian-made drones to attack targets in Ukraine, articles in the Saudi and Emirati press accused the West of hypocrisy and of employing a double standard in the context of Iran’s aggression.
The U.S. and Europe, say the articles, have for years been ignoring the Iranian drones launched by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and tolerating Iran’s destructive actions in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. But now, when the Iranian drones are threatening Ukraine and Europe as a whole, the West has come responded forcefully against Iran and imposed new sanctions on it. The articles stress that the West is now paying the price of its naïve approach to Iran and disregard of Iran’s crimes. The Biden and Obama administrations and the European countries , they say, ignored Iran’s military and technological buildup, and the actions of its militias and the crimes it committed against the Syrian people, with Russian support. This essentially emboldened Iran to continue harming the countries of the region, and to come to Russia’s aid in its war against Ukraine and against NATO.
The “Western world” ignores “the Iranian drones targeting the Arab world,” but is shocked when they are used “against the West” (Al-Iqtisadiyya, Saudi Arabia, October 27, 2022)
The following are translated excerpts from some of these articles.
Senior Saudi Journalist: American, Western Silence Over Iran’s Conduct Encouraged It To Threaten Europe
Senior Saudi journalist Tarek Al-Homayed wrote in the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily that it is the West’s disregard of Iran’s crimes, and of the Iranian drones that target the countries in the Middle East, that emboldened Iran to provide Russia with the drones that now threaten Europe. He added that confronting the Iranian threat will not be possible unless the U.S. maintains sound relations with Saudi Arabia and other regional countries. Such action also requires the formulation of an overall plan for dealing with Iran, he said. The following are excerpts from the English version of his article, published in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat‘s English edition.
“I prefer to be candid in my political commentary, to call a spade a spade. When it comes to Iran’s destructive actions in the region and across the world, we have to call it how it is. For this reason, I have to say that Iranian interference in the Ukraine war by supplying Russia with drones is an Iranian attack on NATO countries.
“Yes, just as it has targeted and is targeting our region, Iran is now targeting Europe. Iranian drones were used to attack oil processing facilities at Abqaiq in 2019, and these are the same drones that the Houthis have deployed against Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“The Popular Mobilization Forces and Asaib Ahl al-Haq use these same drones in Iraq, and Hezbollah uses them to strike Israel. These drones are not new, but Europe and the United States have only recently woken up to them because Iranian drones are now hitting NATO countries [sic].
“Thus, it is the silence of the US and Europe, especially the endless mistakes that Americans keep making in the way they deal with Iran, [that] has emboldened Iran to attack European countries, NATO in particular…
“Alright, today Washington is saying that the Russians’ alliance with Iran, which was manifested in the use of the the drones in Ukraine and [in] the country sending its experts to Ukraine, threatens the international community. We don’t know how we can confront this alliance without good and positive relations with Saudi Arabia and thus, the countries of the region.
“And so, the fact that Iranian drones are now targeting NATO countries [by attacking] in Ukraine is not the result of fleeting contingencies. Rather, it is genuine aggression, and it demonstrates that remaining silent about Iran’s crimes, in both the region and Europe, has become a real and unprecedented threat.
“Iran does not just repress its citizens. It also targets the countries of the region, and it has destroyed four Arab capitals so far. Its drones now target a European capital, Kyiv, and Iran is doing so to target all NATO countries.
This matter does not require targeted sanctions on entities and individuals in Iran. Instead, it demands a comprehensive plan for how to address the dangers posed by Iran, which now threatens Europe with patent political blackmail.
Tough sanctions must be reimposed on Iran, and a plan B for how to deal with it must be developed, even if it is a military option. We also need to speed up the building of an integrated defense system for the region that covers all its moderate and stable countries and Israel.