“Over the past several years, as American influence in Iraq has waned, Iran’s influence has grown.”
Who’s to blame for the ongoing violence in the Middle East? If you listen to Iran, it’s primarily America’s fault. Iran’s Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed that the United States is responsible for the rise of the Islamic State and instability across the Middle East, even implying that the United States had directly armed terrorist groups. The comments come in response to President Trump’s statements last week after the terrorist attacks in Tehran, when he noted that Iran had fallen victim to the terrorism that they themselves promote.
Untangling who bears the most responsibility for the growth of terrorist groups and instability across the Middle East and Central Asia is difficult. It does seem that the United States contributed to the overall instability in the region when it invaded Iraq. Saddam Hussein, for all his horrendous faults, cracked down on terrorism and extremist Sunni groups. He also kept the sectarian tensions “in control,” primarily by subjugating minority groups, often with brutal violence.
When the United States invaded, it created a power vacuum and allowed centuries-old sectarian tensions between the Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds to boil over. Most extremist Islamic groups are Sunni, while Iran and Iraq are predominately Shia. Many of the ongoing conflicts across the region stem from the Sunni-Shia divide. (The Kurds are primarily Sunni but enjoy their own ethnic identity and are largely autonomous within Iraq.)
The Rise and Fall of the “Sons of Iraq”
The United States was able to bring sectarian violence in the Sunni Triangle under control by training, arming, and promoting the Sunni “Sons of Iraq.” This militia group instilled relative stability in the so-called “Sunni Triangle.” However, Iranian-backed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki undid the progress made with the Sons of Iraq by refusing to integrate them into the regular military and essentially banning Sunni militias altogether.
Some of the “sons” laid down their arms. Some joined the Islamic State, seeing the Shia-controlled Iraqi government as an increasing threat. And when the Islamic State launched its surprise attack on the Sunni triangle, there were no moderate Sunni militias to oppose them. The Shia-dominated army, meanwhile, tucked tail and ran, not willing to put their lives on the line for Sunni Iraqis.
Iran Has Fueled Sunni-Shia Tensions Across the Region
Which brings us back to Iran. The Iranian regime, like the Iraqi government, is Shia. The Shia-Sunni divide, meanwhile, is intense and grounded in centuries of conflict and competition. Across the Middle East, the Iranian government has supported Shia regimes and encouraged—or at least enabled—said regimes to mistreat Sunni Muslims under their control.
Over the past several years, as American influence in Iraq has waned, Iran’s influence has grown. Prime Minister al-Maliki was first elected as a somewhat reliable American ally, but over the years, he grew closer to Iran. In 2010, the Iranian government threw its full weight behind Maliki, ensuring that he stayed in power and faced little opposition in parliament. Iran has also trained Shia militias and has allegedly encouraged discord between Iraq’s Shia and Sunni communities.
Ali Safavi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, states:
If it were not for the mullahs’ nefarious interference in Iraq, their arming and funding of terrorist Shiite militia groups and fomenting sectarian discord in that country, as well as their all-out support for the murderous Assad regime in Syria, ISIS would not have gained a foothold in Iraq or in Syria. A unified and stable Iraq and a Syria without Assad would have drained the swamp of extremism in the region and deprived ISIS of the opportunity for recruitment among the disgruntled Sunni population of both countries.
Indeed, while Russia gets many of the headlines for supporting Assad in Syria, the Iranian government has arguably been even more integral. Iran has put para-military troops on the ground, provided supplies and training, and allegedly trained Shia militias in Syria and Iraq. Allegedly, Iran has also been actively involved in cyber warfare in Syria, with much of the efforts directed at dissidents rather than the Islamic State.
Without Iranian support, Assad would have likely been overthrown, and the Islamic State may have never come into existence. It was Syria that first incubated the Islamic State. And it was jaded Sunni Muslims from both Syria and Iraq who filled its ranks. Likely, had Iran not fueled Shia-Sunni tensions in Iraq, and had it not supported Assad’s regime in Syria, there would be no Islamic State—at least not in the size, shape, and form that it is today.
Iran Responsible for Tensions Across Middle East
Outside of the Islamic State, Iran is at the center of the unfolding Qatari isolation. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt have cut all ties with Qatar, which has long been a prominent member of the Middle East and close ally of the United States. Iran appears to be responsible for much of the tension, as Qatar has grown increasingly friendly with Tehran.
Meanwhile, the civil war in Yemen continues to unfold, with Iranian-backed Shia rebels continuing to wage war with the Sunni-controlled government, which is receiving support from Saudi Arabia and other countries. Without Iranian support, the Shia militias would likely have been defeated long ago. Instead, the conflicts drag out with no end in sight, with conditions worsening by the day.
So Who’s to Blame?
Maybe the United States does shoulder some of the blame for the instability currently seen across the Middle East. I, for one, believe this to be the case. Neither Bush nor Obama were ever able to secure lasting peace and stability in Iraq—a war that I personally believe should never have been declared. It’s too early to judge Trump’s record, but the situation for Iraq and Syria looks grim.
Regardless, the Iranian government deserves much of the blame as well, and while the United States has largely been trying to untangle itself from the region’s conflict, Tehran continues to fuel conflicts and tensions across the Middle East. So perhaps before Iranian leaders point their fingers at the United States, they should take some time to look in the mirror.
