Keyvan Kaboli

Military intervention in Yemen by Saudi-led coalition targeting Houthi Shia militias should be considered a turning point in the region.

• This is the first time in the last 30 years that a decisive and operating coalition is being formed against the Iranian regime in the Middle East. All Arab countries except Oman have participated and contributed to this coalition. Iranian regime’s aggression in the Middle East has been a real and serious threat to the countries from Afghanistan to Lebanon and from Bahrain to Yemen.

• The Iranian regime’s hegemonic drive in the Middle East forced various governments in the region to put aside their differences and come together to counter this common threat. The Iranian unstoppable appetite to expand its hegemony throughout the region has produced a practical alliance between Arab countries, Turkey and Israel. The Obama administration’s policy of appeasement toward Iran with disastrous consequences in Iraq and Syria has deepened the mistrust by regional powers toward US administration and reinforced their determination to come together and confront the Iranian Mullahs.

• The military intervention by Saudi led coalition is a wake-up call for President Obama who remains committed to an illusionary policy of engagement with the Iranian regime and believes that a hypothetical nuclear deal with Tehran, granting threshold state status to the Mullahs, could bring peace and stability to the region.

• Arab coalition has announced the creation of a solid Arab force to combat the Islamic State’s aggressions and Jihadists in the region, in addition to defend its members in case of any attack. The Sharm-ol-sheikh’s statement on one hand neutralizes the Iranian propaganda that it leads the fight against Islamic State and on the other hand, makes it harder for appeasement policies in the West to use the pretext of IS threat to justify cooperation with Iran. The Saudi Arabia Ambassador in DC stated in an interview with CNN that from early days of Mussel’s fall, Iraqi government led by Nuri-al Maliki rejected Arab countries’ offer to build a military coalition against IS and instead, opened the door to the Iranian military intervention in Iraq.

• No doubt the Arab coalition’s main goal is to stop Iranian regime aggressions in the Middle East. These operations will be intensified in coming weeks. Yemen’s operation is just the beginning of new chapter in the region and will polarize the geopolitical situation. Afghanistan, Hamas and potentially Pakistan’s decision to support Arab coalition on Decisive Storm are the illustration of this polarization.

The Arab coalition intervention in Yemen could translate to an enduring trend to oppose the Iranian regime’s proxy war in the region and eventually will break Iran’s military machine throughout the Middle East. It will be an outcome that would crack the regime’s foundation in Iran.