Struck by a suicide bombing bus from Sunni Jaish al-Adi [Army of Justice] killing 27 elite Republican Guards Feb. 13, Iran called again for “death to America” and “death to Israel,” celebrating Feb. 10 the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Reduced to worn out slogans, Iran’s enemy is not the U.S. or Israel but extremist Wahhabi Sunni groups originating from the Gulf Arab States, mainly Saudi Arabia. “Our response in defense of the Islamic Revolution will not be limited out our borders,” said Revolutionary Gurads spokesman Ali Fadavi quoted in Fars, Iran’s semi-official news agency. Iran has no problem burning U.S. and Israeli flags, pointing fingers at the wrong enemy relentlessly murdering innocent Iranians. “The enemies will receive a very firm response from the Revolutionary Guards like before,” said Fadavi, not sure where and how to respond to Sunni extremism
When 72-year-old President Donald Trump canceled former President Barack Obama’s July 15, 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPA} AKA the Iranian Nuke Deal May 8, 2018, Iran started again with “death to America” chants. Trump couldn’t see keeping a deal watching Iran engage in more militarism around the Middle East and North Africa. Iran’s Revolutionary guards have been busy in Syria defending the Shiite regime of President Bashar al-Assad, something that would have prompted a Wahhabi terror attack. Iran likes to blame the U.S. and Israel for its external attacks but knows its real enemy is Sunni Islam. It wasn’t that long ago that Saudi Arabia Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz Ibn Abdullah Al ash Sheikh called all Shiite Muslims apostates during the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Yet Iran persists in its campaign against the United States and Israel.
Detonating an explosive-laden truck into a bus carrying Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the remote Sistan-Baluchistan province, Jaish al-Adi killed at least 27 members, wounding 13, of Iran’s elite armed forces. Iran doesn’t have the temerity to accuse the U.S. and Israel of suicide bombing but they would if they could get away with it. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards pride themselves on preventing terrorist attacks but know that the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan gives extremist Sunni groups plenty of opportunity to infiltrate Iran. With over 125,000 Revolutionary Guards, their main function is protecting the Revolutionary regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “The self-sacrificing military and intelligence children of the people of Iran will take revenge for the blood of martyrs of this incident,” said Fars. Iran finds itself trying to get back at a shadowy enemy.
Battling the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] and al-Qaeda in Syria, Iran finds itself at war with various Islamist terror groups infiltrating Iran through Pakistan and Afghanistan. Instead of feigning hatred for the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s Mullah government should be partner with the world’s best intelligence services to combat radical Sunni terrorism. There’s no revenge Iran can take against Jaish al Adi other than partnering with the U.S. and Israel to combat Wahhabi terrorism. Striking ISIS or al-Qaeda with missiles isn’t enough to stop Islamic extremists from lashing out at soft Iranian targets in Tehran and Ahwaz. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, who negotiated the Iran Nuke Deal with former Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014-2015, whipped up more paranoia, correlating yesterday’s car bombing with a U.S. security conference in Warsaw.
Zarif knows there’s no link between Warsaw and radical Sunni attacks on Iran’s Shiite targets. ”Is it no coincidence that Iran is hit by terror on the very day that #Warsaw Circus begins?” asked Zarif. Zarif finds any excuse to blame the U.S. and Israel for Iran’s internal problems, largely stemming from Mullah rule, where the ruling theocracy monopolizes Iran’s industrial base. Attacks by Jaish al-Adi, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, mirror deep divisions between Sunni and Shiite Islam. Last year’s Sunni terror attack on a military parade killed 25, including Revolutionary Guards, in the city of Ahvaz, were claimed by ISIS and Arab separatist groups. Iran’s support for Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen also doesn’t endear itself to Sunni groups. If Iran wants to stop Sunni extremist its needs to stop backing Shiite regimes like al-Assad’s in Damascus or Abdel-Malek Badreddin al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen.
After the latest Sunni terrorist attack killing 27 Revolutionary Guards, Iran has a real chance to ask the U.S. for help combating radical Sunni terrorism. Instead of burning U.S. and Israeli flags, Iran should reach out to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ask for help in battling radical Sunni terrorism. Continuing the war of words against the U.S. and Israel does Iran nothing to stop more acts of Sunni extremism. Instead of burning U.S. and Israeli flags and shouting “death to American and Israel,” Zarif should make an overture to Pompeo to try to put U.S.-Iranian relations back on track. Iran gets nothing from the Gulf States—or Palestinians for that matter—slamming the U.S. and Israel, only makes the Islamic Republic look backward, out of step with today’s geopolitics. If Iran wants to stop radical Sunni attacks, it needs to coordinate better with U.S. and Israeli intel if it’s really serious about stopping attacks.
