Daily Times

The recent policy of brinkmanship and war hysteria showed by the US is plunging the region in the folds of a catastrophe.

If we check the annals of history, it can easily be palpable Iran has mostly been at loggerheads with the US and Saudi Arabia.

In 1984, the US designated Iran as a state sponsoring terrorism. The current rift between the two is compelling the region to further chaos, uncertainty as it contains the seeds of destabilisation to wreak havoc in the region.

The Iran nuclear deal was the water-shedding movement in world politics, which gave peace a chance.

Above all, it was meant to save the world from the ferociousness of nuclear-armed race. On the historic day of July 14, 2015, a nuclear deal was signed between Iran and six major powers with the acronym P5+1. Hence, Tehran got relief from sanctions and got access to USD 100 billion in foreign accounts. Moreover, Iran emerged as a diplomatically strong state on the world stage to play its legitimate role in world affairs.

Sadly, optimism was ephemeral as soon as Donald Trump entered an oval office. On May 12, he announced a unilateral withdrawal from the agreement because of a plethora of reasons. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo figured out 12 basic requirements, which the US wanted Iran to meet. These demanded Iran to end its support to Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; respect Iraq’s sovereignty; end support to the Houthis in Yemen; withdraw all forces under Iranian command from Syria; end support of Afghanistan Taliban and end the Islamic revolutionary guard supporting terrorist and militant partners.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo figured out 12 basic requirements, which the US wanted Iran to meet. These demanded Iran to end its support to Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; respect Iraq’s sovereignty; end support to the Houthis in Yemen

So, it can easily be noticed that the recent policy of brinkmanship and war hysteria showed by the US is plunging the region in the folds of a catastrophe.

The US has deployed a naval aircraft carrier, B-52 Bombers at an airbase in Qatar. This and the F-15 jets are a clear indication that the world is at the brink of war. Most importantly, the US has threatened all countries to stop trading with Iran, especially in the oil sector, which contributes 60 per cent of Iran’s total economy. It is a hard time for Iran to dismantle itself from the snare of these sanctions. In this whole scenario, the role of Saudi Arabia cannot be ignored. As a matter of fact, Saudi enjoys considerable influence in the US intelligentsia for three reasons. Firstly, Saudi Arabia is the biggest importer of the US arms. Secondly, after the Iranian revolution, Saudi considers Iran a major threat to its kingdom and lastly, Saudi produces 12.4 million barrels of oil on a daily basis. So, in the prevailing situation, Saudi plays a consequential role to fulfil its own interests.

It is inevitable to circumvent Pakistan from the regional affairs, owing to its strategic location on the globe. Pakistan must not take part and find a middle ground that can serve its interests in the best possible manner. It cannot be denied that this would be a Herculean task for Pakistan. On one hand, Iran is its immediate neighbour while on the other, its iron-handed relationship with the Saudi has placed Pakistan between the devil and the deep, blue sea. In addition to this, two million Pakistanis reside in Saudi Arabia and are sending remittances to the tune of USD 4.2 billion. Further, Saudis have always helped Pakistan in beefing up its economy.

It would be fair to summarise that war is looming large over the region but it is need of the hour that Saudi Arabia, US and Iran sit together to follow the footsteps of reconciliation to save the world from another war. There is no denying the impression that some bold steps are needed to turn a new page. In this regard, Pakistan’s role is very critical to provide its good offices to give peace a chance.

The writer is a doctor of pharmacy and has interest in socio, economic, religious, educational and international affairs