By Hossein Bouazar
If you have been following the news, you would’ve heard of Iran and Venezuela a lot recently. Venezuela has been under sanctions by several countries for some time now. The United States have sanctioned more than 150 companies vessels and individuals in Venezuela. On the other side Iran also has been under sanctions by several countries. Even though United States have imposed sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector but Iran’s plan to get around US sanctions have been a long standoff game between the two countries and the Iranian people are the real victims.
Iran is ready to scarify its people for their mission, to become a superpower in the world. They have proven that many times where they put their mission before their own people. Iran have been working very hard to make allies in different continent.
For example, Iran is helping Houthis in Yemen’s northwest a Shiite Islam group. Houthis helped topple the government of Yemen’s president and regional United States ally, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Houthis recently used Iranian drones to attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Let’s take a look at middle east Shiite Islam vs Sunni fight before going into another example who Iran is destabilizing Middle East.
Middle East is one of the most complex regions in the world. There are countless armed militias and terrorist groups are out there spreading violence across the region. The Saudis and Iranians have never actually declared war on each other. Instead, they fight indirectly by supporting opposing sides in other countries and inciting conflicts. This is known as proxy warfare. Iranians see these civil wars as both tremendous threats and potentially enormous opportunities. Iran is using other countries as battlefields.
It is also worth noting that the Sunni-Sha split was never as violent, and in the past many decade and centuries it the Islamic world when Sunnis and Shia were living in close proximity, they got along well.
So, Iran started exporting it Revolution Guards and their Qods forces to help groups mostly Shia trying to overthrow governments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Libya.
In 2003 the United States invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein, but the problem started when the US struggled to replace Saddam Hussein. Iraq without a government, armed militias took control of Iraq. Sunni and Shai started hating each other like never before in Iraq. Iran started sending money and weapons to Shia armed militias groups in Iraq. While Saudi Arabia want to keep peace in Middle East, on the other side the Iranian regime and its proxies in the region are the ultimate anti status quo power and they have been trying for decades to overturn Middle East in their favor.
Iran threw their weight behind different groups all over the Middle East. In Iraq, Iran supported the Shia groups rise up against their Sunni government. Another great example, in Tunisia, Iran supported the Tunisia’s people to rise up against their government. In Bahrain, Iran supported Shia Leaders seeking to overthrow the government. Iran got involved in Libya, Lebanon and Morocco. In Yemen, Iran sending their weapons and forces to help the Houthis who are an Iranian proxy group. The reverse is happening in Syria where the Iranian military is fighting side by side militias such as Hezbollah in support of dictator Bashar Al-Assad.
Months ago, the US air strike that killed Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani, put an end to the two-decade career of the Middle East’s most dangerous man. Soleimani was a shadowy figure in command of Iran’s proxy forces. He was Iran’s second man after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Taking advantage of regional unrest and instability, Soleimani and the IRGC’s elite Quds Force infiltrated top security, political, and military infrastructures in many countries and exercised control over which foreign leaders and politicians came to power.
Since Iranian sanctions were lifted sometime in 2016, Iran increased financial and economic influence, which it has invested in destabilizing neighbors. While Iranian people did not benefit from anything while there weren’t any sanctions.
Qassem Soleimani’s Proxy Wars as shown in the below map.
Where to from here? While Ahwazi people are the poorest in the world living above the wealthiest lands in the world, many activists and human rights organizations are deeply concerned by the Iranian regime suppressing vital details about the outbreak in Ahwaz. All nations including Iran must tell the truth about the virus not just to the world but to its people too and cooperate with international aid organizations. Iran must stop its malicious activities around the world and specifically in Middle East.
During this pandemic it is so important to have access to basic human rights such as clean water but Ahwazi people don’t have access to the basic human needs. In protest of the water shortage problem, the people of Gheizaniyeh (one the Ahwaz towns) closed the Ahwaz capital – Omidiyeh major road and stopped the traffic on this transit road on Saturday the 23rd of May 2020.
Due to high rate of COVID-19 infection among Ahwazi people, apparently #SocialDistancing has no respect among Ahwazi people as result of poor management by Iranian occupation regime. Ahwazi people being asked to show their commitment in respect to COVID-19 and staying at home but as result of severe poverty and worst families economic condition in addition to no support been made from government to the people, made people unable to stay at home and continue to do their works to strive the impoverishment.
According to activists in Ahwaz, case of coronavirus infection is rising, so hospital officials are evacuating and quarantining the hospital, experimental samples of this patient have been taken and now awaiting the results of the tests.
It is worth noting that the virus spreading rapidly in Iran. This fatal disease reached Qom, Arak, Tehran, Rasht and Babol. Prevent people from attending gatherings and public places.
The Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights calls upon human rights organisations and defenders to put pressure on Iranian criminal regime to release all Ahwazi detainees that been arrested unlawfully.
Hossein Bouazar is a human rights activist from the Ahwaz region in Iran. He writes about human rights abuses committed on the Arab Ahwazi.
Date: 22/02/2020
