In Common With Iran

As of today as reported in the Washington Post France and the United Kingdom have something quite significant in common with Iran—all are being attacked by Sunni Islamist terrorists:

Gunmen stormed two major sites in Iran’s capital Wednesday, killing at least 12 people in gunfire and suicide blasts in parliament and at the revered tomb of the nation’s Islamic revolutionary leader. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Tehran attacks, which would mark the group’s first major strikes in Iran.

The twin attacks — coming in the middle of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan — also appeared calculated for maximum shock among Iranians.

Parliament is widely respected as a voice on domestic policies even as the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the final word on most international and security issues. The vast shrine complex of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is a centerpiece of homage to the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew Iran’s Western-allied monarchy.

The timing, meanwhile, could have been designed as an attempt to boost the Islamic State’s stature among backers as it faces a two-pronged assault against its key urban strongholds: Mosul in northern Iraq and the Islamic State’s de facto capital, Raqqa, in Syria. An expanded offensive by U.S.-backed forces against Raqqa began Tuesday.

It will be interesting to see how the Iranian government responds to this challenge and whether it resembles or is in contrast to the reactions in France and the United Kingdom.

2 comments… add one
  • CuriousOnlooker Link

    You combine it with Saudi Arabia/UAE/Egypt issuing an ultimatum to Qatar, Turkey trying to put 10000 troops in Qatar (and gain a foothold in the gulf); and Israeli reports of Iranian attempts at creating a land corridor to Syria through Iraq, the situation is much more serious then appreciated.

    Its like a real game of thrones, there are so many fractions fighting over there; Turkey/Qatar, Saudi Arabia/UAE/Egypt, Iran/Russia/Syria, Kurds, Islamic State, US.

  • Yes, the situation in the Middle East is pretty miserable. From the standpoint of a threat to us and what we care about I think that the South China Sea and by extension North Korea are more concerning but MENA is miserable.

    The Middle East reminds me of a joke I heard once about the difficulty of finding anybody to root for in a movie pitting the Mafia against vampires. We have some clients there but no friends. Our interests there decrease practically by the day. And yet that’s where we devote most of our foreign aid.

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