It is not only the US and Israel that have reason to fear the Iranian program to obtain nuclear weapons. In fact, according to the editor of the London-based Saudi daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, Abd al-Rahman al-Rasheed, the Arabs have more to fear from Persian nuclear arms than the Jews or Americans. An article entitled, “Yes, We Fear Iran's Uranium”, penned by al-Rasheed, appeared in the October 8th edition of al-Sharq al-Awsat. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) provided excerpts of the translation.
Al-Rasheed’s article belittled commonly voiced concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program: “If you want to be foolish, you have to believe that Iran is producing its nuclear bomb in order to attack Israel; you'll turn into a complete idiot if you believe it's producing it in order to confront the U.S.” For the al-Sharq al-Awsat editor, “it is hard to believe the claim that Iran's purpose in producing nuclear weapons is to attain balance with Israel due to the enormity of the Israeli arsenal and [Israel's] technological superiority. Likewise, it is inconceivable that we believe Iran will do what the Russians -with the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world - were incapable of doing, and will enter into nuclear confrontation with Washington.”
Instead, the Arab newspaper editor wrote, “The Iranians are enriching uranium to produce nuclear weapons aimed, essentially, at its neighbors, mainly Pakistan. However, the danger encompasses the other neighboring countries as well, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, which share with Iran a land border of 5,400 km and a sea border of 2,400 km.” Al-Rasheed explained that while “it is our duty to fight for Israel's nuclear disarmament, we must not delude ourselves that Iran, or any other country, is arming itself with nuclear weapons in response to Israel.”
The reason this is a concern, the newspaper editor wrote, is the fact that “Allah be praised, I do not need to persuade many that our region has more than enough insane leaders.”
History is the writer’s guide: “Iranian fighter planes engaged in air battles with Saudi fighter planes on a day in the past, and Scud missiles crushed Tehran and Qom and reached Riyadh and Doha. You can imagine what it would have been like had their warheads been nuclear.” Al-Rasheed went on to make an important point, worthy of attention by those who see only one Middle East conflict: “We have used conventional weapons more against each other than against Israel, and this situation will not change tomorrow if we add nuclear bombs to our arsenals.”
The al-Sharq al-Awsat article concluded with the following policy recommendation: “It would be a mistake to come to the defense of our neighbor Iran out of ignorance and on the pretext of deterring Israel. The Iranian nuclear danger threatens us, first and foremost, more than it threatens the Israelis and the Americans.”
Al-Rasheed’s article belittled commonly voiced concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program: “If you want to be foolish, you have to believe that Iran is producing its nuclear bomb in order to attack Israel; you'll turn into a complete idiot if you believe it's producing it in order to confront the U.S.” For the al-Sharq al-Awsat editor, “it is hard to believe the claim that Iran's purpose in producing nuclear weapons is to attain balance with Israel due to the enormity of the Israeli arsenal and [Israel's] technological superiority. Likewise, it is inconceivable that we believe Iran will do what the Russians -with the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world - were incapable of doing, and will enter into nuclear confrontation with Washington.”
Instead, the Arab newspaper editor wrote, “The Iranians are enriching uranium to produce nuclear weapons aimed, essentially, at its neighbors, mainly Pakistan. However, the danger encompasses the other neighboring countries as well, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, which share with Iran a land border of 5,400 km and a sea border of 2,400 km.” Al-Rasheed explained that while “it is our duty to fight for Israel's nuclear disarmament, we must not delude ourselves that Iran, or any other country, is arming itself with nuclear weapons in response to Israel.”
The reason this is a concern, the newspaper editor wrote, is the fact that “Allah be praised, I do not need to persuade many that our region has more than enough insane leaders.”
History is the writer’s guide: “Iranian fighter planes engaged in air battles with Saudi fighter planes on a day in the past, and Scud missiles crushed Tehran and Qom and reached Riyadh and Doha. You can imagine what it would have been like had their warheads been nuclear.” Al-Rasheed went on to make an important point, worthy of attention by those who see only one Middle East conflict: “We have used conventional weapons more against each other than against Israel, and this situation will not change tomorrow if we add nuclear bombs to our arsenals.”
The al-Sharq al-Awsat article concluded with the following policy recommendation: “It would be a mistake to come to the defense of our neighbor Iran out of ignorance and on the pretext of deterring Israel. The Iranian nuclear danger threatens us, first and foremost, more than it threatens the Israelis and the Americans.”