Iran’s outreach to Iraq, Oman, Lebanon increases pressure on West - analysis
Iran has been on a diplomatic offensive this week, as its foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Oman this week - where he met Oman officials on Wednesday and discussed the conflict in Yemen and the status of Iran’s nuclear talks with the West, according to Iranian regime media.
Iran’s IRNA said that he met with Oman’s foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. He also discussed Yemen, Sudan and even mentioned “Palestine,” according to reports.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also met with his Iraqi counterpart on Saturday, where he slammed the US and its role in the region.
Iran is seeking to cement stronger ties with Iraq, as it backs militias in Iraq that threaten the region. Iran’s president said that Iran was working with Iraq on security understandings and that they consider Iraq very important for its own security. Iran also says that it sees “the presence of Americans in the region to be disruptive to the region's security.”
Iran satisfied with Syrian normalization ties
Iran this week also said it had welcomed how countries were open to normalizing ties with Syria, which includes its meetings with Russia and Turkey and its outreach to the Gulf.
“We welcome the improvement of Syria's diplomatic relations in the region and the world, especially with brotherly Arab countries, in a way that guarantees Syria's security, stability and prosperity,” said Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, during a Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria.
At the same time, Abdollahian was also in Lebanon this week. Iran claims it wants a new president to be elected in Lebanon without “foreign” interference. Clearly, this is the same reference to “foreign” that Iran’s President mentioned in his meeting with the Iraqi president - alluding to the US in this context.
“We welcome the improvement of Syria's diplomatic relations in the region and the world, especially with brotherly Arab countries, in a way that guarantees Syria's security, stability and prosperity.”
Amir Saeid Iravani
Iran’s full-court press is now clear. It works with Russia and Turkey to re-integrate Syria. In Oman, Iran works to end the Yemen conflict, as it wants the blockade of Yemen lifted and to empower the Houthis.
Iran also works in Lebanon to put its preferred candidate in the presidency and works at the UN to help Syria. They also meet with Iraqis to try to get the US to leave Iraq and Syria.
