Iran's Compound Stupidity

I will not dwell on the war that continues to rage in the region, which flares up at times and subsides at others, while new developments emerge daily. Sometimes reports confirm that the war will break out that very night, while others claim the new round is delayed, or even distant. Yet, in the final analysis, the state of neither war nor peace persists, and the countries and peoples of the region are affected by this situation.

Here, we must look at matters realistically, and I will speak plainly: If Iran is against the United States, how does it help it sell weapons to the region?

Furthermore, if it is fighting Israel, how does it allow it to destroy Lebanon, and prevent its Lebanese arm (Hezbollah) from launching any missiles into occupied territories? And if it is against the United States and calls for cooperation among regional states, why does it mobilize the Houthi militias to bomb Saudi Arabia? And if the Houthis, as claimed, are monotheistic Muslims, why do they attack Mecca and Medina?

Many questions arise in the mind of any ordinary citizen, uninvolved in politics, revolving around Iran’s strategic objective in the region. Does it truly want to fight the United States and Israel, or is it a promoter of American weapons in the region?

Frankly, that is sheer stupidity. Tehran benefits the United States and Israel at the expense of its closest neighbors, who are forced to seek more arms to defend themselves. Meanwhile, its own people continue to suffer, because there are those who refuse to admit their mistakes.

The poet Abu al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi was right when he said: “Every ailment has a remedy that can be prescribed… except for foolishness, which baffles those who try to cure it.” This applies to the leaders of the Iranian regime, who claim to oppose the United States and Israel, while simultaneously helping them weaken Iran’s closest neighbors. Is that not compounded stupidity?