How Arab attitudes vary toward Trump’s new Iran strategy

CAIRO – 16 October 2017: The attitudes of some Arab states varied towards the Trump administration’s recent strategy, announced on Friday, October 13, which denounced Tehran over its nuclear program of ballistic missiles. The spectrum ranged from those who supported and welcomed the announcement to those who condemned the strategy.

Egypt and Kuwait follow with “concern”
Egypt and Kuwait did not explicitly support Trump's strategy toward Iran, as the two countries insisted they were "interested” about the new strategy’s details.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that "Egypt is following with concern the details of Trump's new strategy, and we are deeply concerned about Iran's policies, which lead to regional instability and which affect Arab national and regional security, both of which are an integral part of Egypt's national security."

Egypt's firm stance calls for the necessity of freeing the Middle East region from nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction and of respecting the principles of good neighborhood, as well as non-interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries that would consequently enhance the stability of the Middle East, Abu Zeid added.

In a similar vein, the Kuwait News Agency quoted an official source at the Foreign Ministry as saying that "Kuwait has followed with great concern what has come in U.S. President Donald Trump’s last speech about the new strategy to deal with Iran." The source added that Kuwait has already welcomed the Iranian Nuclear Agreement because of its "concern for regional security and stability and for the necessity of achieving commitment to reach a free zone from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East."

The official called on Iran to work to "build confidence in the region by adopting policies based on the principles of the U.N. Charter and the rules of international law, particularly respecting the sovereignty of states, not interfering in their internal affairs, and maintaining good neighborly relations."

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain bolster and welcome Trump’s new strategy toward Iran
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced their support of the Trump administration’s new strategy toward Tehran. Saudi Arabia stressed its full support of the announced strategy, pledging to work with U.S. and its allies in the region to confront shared challenges, particularly “Iran’s aggressive policies and maneuvers,” the official Saudi News Agency quoted the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s statement as saying.

"Iran took advantage of the lifting of sanctions and used it to continue to destabilize the region, especially through its ballistic missile development program and its support of terrorism in the region, including Hezbollah and Houthi militias," the Saudi statement said.

“Iran had transferred these capabilities and expertise to its affiliated militias, including the Houthi militia, which used those missiles to target the Kingdom,” it added.

The UAE's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “the Iranian regime seeks to spread turmoil and destabilization in the region,” as the UAE announced its “strong support for the new U.S. strategy toward Iran” and stressed on the commitment by the UAE to work with U.S. allies in the region to curb Iranian policies that bolster terrorism in the region and the world.

In the same course, Bahrain has supported Trump’s new stance toward Iran, which it described as “an appropriate policy to curb the prevalence of turmoil and face attempts to spread terrorism by Iran.”

Syrian regime denounces Trump’s recent attitude toward Iran
The Syrian Foreign Ministry defended its Iranian ally and condemned what it described as "aggressive policies of the American administration against the interests of the world’s peoples, which would increase the atmosphere of tensions in the region and the world," the official Syrian news agency reported.

An official source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that "the U.S. administration's coup on the Iranian Nuclear Agreement and its use of threatening language is unacceptable and breaks international norms and conventions, though Iran has strictly complied with the agreement."

He added that "the threat of the U.S. administration to cancel the Nuclear Agreement with Iran and imposition of new coercive sanctions on Iran clearly shows lack of respect by the department for the Charters and their obligations under international treaties and conventions, as well as a lack of confidence in the stance of this administration toward international security and stability."