An interview of one of Iranian domestic news websites with a former IRGC commander who used to be on mission in Syria absorbed the attention of some foreign media. Mohammad Ali Falaki had shared with Mashregh News his experience in war in Syria and had talked about the strategy of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. One part of his comments which has been interesting to foreign media was where he speaks of a strategy of IRGC in forming a ‘liberation army’ in the region which according to him is now active in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Al Jazeera, for instance, had considered it an official announcement that Iran is going to have its boots on the ground in these three countries and this presence would be a military one.
What General Falaki has described is the same advisory mission Iran has long been pursuing in Syria and Iraq at the request of the legitimate governments of those countries. What he has elaborated is that the Revolutionary Guards is focusing on mobilization of forces in their own country or region. The so-called Liberation Army, according to Falaki, is under command of legendary Major General Qassem Suleimani and is currently present in three fronts of Syria, Iraq and Yemen where the two formers are fighting terrorists and the latter is engaged in a futile aggression launched by Saudi Arabia.
What the once IRGC commander has elaborated and the foreign media ignored is that Iran has always asserted that it supports legitimate governments in the volatile region and supports any true measures taken to maintain stability and eradicate terrorism and violence in west of Asia. On the other hand, the presence is advisory and at the request of officials democratically elected by the people of those countries. Moreover, what IRGC and its command over the Liberation Army is seeking is to help people of those countries stand on their own in fight against terrorism and foreign intervention. It can be compared to US program spending $500 million for training so-called moderate fighters in Syria – who later turned into terrorists or were immediately defeated by them – with the very significant difference that Iran is doing it legally in cooperation with the local governments and with respect for those nations and the US did it regardless of the people and governments of target countries.
In other words, while the West is abusing instability of the region to follow its own interests under the pretext of war on terrorism, Iran not only is ‘really’ fighting terrorists, but also is following its principle policy of supporting and contributing to democracy and nation’s will in countries suffering instability and insecurity. This difference in discourse and policy of Iran and US is the reason why Tehran could easily play a role in Yemen and Washington didn’t have enough pretext to intervene. Iran has always affirmed that it supports what the people of a country really want; the very same solution is what Iran has offered and supported for Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and even Palestine.
While on one side of the story Iran has been supporting Houthis – inaccurately considered and depicted as Shia by western media – and revolutionary people in Yemen, Saudi Arabia – with the green light of the United States and western states – launched a regrettable war on the poor country. Riyadh claimed that it supports former president of the country Mansour Hadi and as one of rare countries in the world which have had no elections in their history and women are still deprived of basic rights such as driving cars, announced that its massive bombardment of civilian areas in Yemen is for returning democracy to the country by reinstating Mansour Hadi. Hadi, fugitive former president of Yemen, came to power after revolutions in region arrived in Yemen and toppled longstanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Mansour Hadi who had took power within agreement with Houthis and revolutionary forces to form a transitional government, refused to leave the position and stirred public anger and ended up in taking refuge in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi efforts to form an international or a regional alliance proved futile within last 16 months and many countries denied being part of the coalition and some left it after unfair, brutal attacks on civilians took many casualties and world public opinion raised pressure on human catastrophe in Yemen. The situation in Yemen is terrible enough to force the United Nations to report on child killings and put the name of Saudi Arabia among child-killing regimes. The fact, however, was embarrassingly erased with political and financial pressure of Riyadh on the UN and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon officially announced that Saudi Arabia was removed from the report due to the pressures and threats to cut its funding for UN.
An airstrike on a hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, caused more public anger and scandal for Saudis. Many western people across the world are questioning their governments in the United States, the Britain and France over massive arms sales to Riyadh. Oxfam has reported that the UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia were in violation of Britain’s national, regional and international arms transfer obligations under three different regulations including the Arms Trade Treaty, which the United Kingdom has strongly supported.
These and many other issues such as use of illegal weapons by the Saudis and Riyadh’s incapability to achieve its objectives in Yemen, have turned it into a terrible quagmire for the Arab country. Latest developments in Yemen are a turning the situation into a new chapter which proves Iran’s policy and has forced US to withdraw from its stance. On Thursday August 18, Yemen announced formation of High Political Council as the parliament of the country and on the day after, a senior official described that the political council was responsible to form government in order to run political, military, security, economic, administrative, social and other affairs of the country. The government comprises 10 members half of whom are from Houthis and other half are made up by forces loyal to ousted president Abdullah Saleh. So far, the announcement received mixed reactions as a UN chief advisor criticized the move as hindering negotiations, and some approved of it.
Yet, what happened in Sanaa on Saturday seems to be a game-changer as tens of thousands of Yemenis poured to the streets to support the Council. The massive rallies witnessed Saudi jetfighters maneuvering overhead the crowds and targeted outskirts of the city to terrify the demonstrators; but the population in return condemned Saudi aggression and shouted unity with the High Political Council.
As Tehran had repeatedly emphasized that its support for Houthis and revolutionary forces was due to their popularity among nation and the support in fact goes to the people, the huge turnout of people from all walks of life was a proof that the Council benefits from public support and receives legitimacy from nation. On the other hand, while US has been sort of forced into supporting Saudis as its ally in the region and had done it in the minimum ways including advisories and refueling assistances, they sharply reduced the number of American forces assigned to ‘Joint Combined Planning Cell’ on last weekend from 45 staff to less than five people according to US Navy spokesman in Bahrain Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey quoted as saying to Reuters.
Yemen is another sample showing who is truly seeking democracy, peace and stability in the region and who is supporting dictators and terrorist groups in the region. As Iran’s insistence on remaining of Assad in power in Syria to avoid a power vacuum and on people’s role in determining their own destiny proved later to be the right policy to avoid another Libya in region, the emphasis on political solution for Yemen and people’s role is another right policy in a volatile region which desires peace and stability. Yemenis showed that they consider no place for Mansour Hadi in the politics of their country and rejected Saudi claims for reinstating him.
The only way to bring the humanitarian crisis in Yemen to an end is the United States, western countries and other Arab states in the region convince Saudi Arabia to leave Yemen and stop fanning the flames of war and aggression in Yemen and elsewhere. Otherwise, Riyadh would either suffer serious internal problems and lose its weight in region or will act irrationally and get the situation in western Asia even worse than the current turmoil.
Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh has done his MA in North American Studies and his focus has been on US policies towards the Middle East. He is also Englsih Chief Editor of Mehr News Agency.