Iran at a crossroads

Undoubtedly Iran is one of those countries, which continue to make headlines for one reason or the other. Since the fall of Shah’s regime in 1979, Iran has been in the media spotlight.
Interestingly, Iran was behind the establishment of America’s ABC news network program, the Nightline news. This program went on air few days after the beginning of the Iranian hostage crisis. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days after a group of Iranian students took over the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979. That issue consumed all the airtime of major news outlets in the US. ABC anchorman Ted Kopple was seen every night talking about one thing: The hostage crisis.
Iran is a country the size of America’s largest state, Alaska. It has a population of around 80 million people. During Shah’s regime, Iran enjoyed cordial ties with almost all the countries across the globe. After the fall of Shah, Iran changed its name to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Ayatollah Khomeini became the supreme religious leader. Soon after the revolution, Iran sank into chaos and ironically; it was Iran’s enemy, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, who saved the Iranian revolution when he invaded the western part of Iran. Both countries got engaged in a war that continued for eight years and resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. The war actually united the Iranians.
In the aftermath of the revolution, the ruling party made clear its intentions to export the Iranian-style revolution to its neighboring countries. However, somehow the Iran-Iraq war prevented them from striving in that direction. But Iranians tried to use the war to gain influence in the region by touching issues important to Arabs like Palestine. Iran had then declared that it would liberate Palestine via Baghdad. Since Iran is not an Arab country, Tehran tried to play on the ethnic issues in the Arab world and use the Palestinian cause to elevate its position in the Middle East.
After the conclusion of the war, analysts expected Iran to concentrate on its rehabilitation, as the infrastructure of its oil and gas industries had been destroyed and its nuclear plant was not in working condition. It was also expected to normalize its ties with its neighbors but the Iranians continued to interfere in the internal matters of other countries particularly Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. In the summer of 1984, there was a direct confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It was an air-to-air confrontation. The Saudi air force F-15 Eagle shot down two Iranian F-4 Phantoms. Iran stopped direct confrontations but continued its covert efforts to stir trouble in the region. It is mainly due to the Iranian behavior, the country stands isolated in the international community with a few friends like Syria, Venezuela and North Korea on its side. Since 1979, the United States remained Iran’s sworn enemy and Washington froze Iranian assets in the US. Both countries remained engaged in bloody sea battles in the Arabian Gulf and Washington sanctioned Tehran.
A few months ago, the entire region was on a high alert and people were waiting with bated breath for an American attack on Iran for its insistence on continuing with its nuclear ambitions. However, things changed dramatically. America is no longer the Great Satan for Iran. Every Iranian is jubilant. All these years, they have longed for McDonald’s and Starbucks. On the other hand, American companies can make trillions of dollars if they have access to Iran’s outdated energy infrastructures.
Iran might continue to stoke sectarian tensions in the Gulf region but it is not immune to these issues. Iran has more diverse ethnic groups than any other country in the region. The Iranian population consists of Persians, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Arabs, Beluchis and Turmans, Qashqai, Armenians and many others. And there are many languages spoken by the Iranian population. And when Iran opens to the world, it will be more exposed to westerners and western media. Opening up of Iran to the world will highlight the lives of the Iranians, their social lives, the elections and the economic condition of an average Iranian.
Tehran has a golden opportunity under President Hassan Rowhani to turn a new leaf and improve its ties with its neighbors. Iran has a very rich culture with thousands of years of rich history. It is rich with many natural resources such as oil and gas. Iran has the potential to increase economic trade with its neighbors. Iran is known for its rugs, caviar and saffron. Iran can export these products to the Gulf markets, which will help its crumbling economy.
The ball is now in Iran’s court. It is at a crossroads. It is up to Tehran either to tread a path that will ensure the well being of its people or continue with its dirty tricks to foment unrest in other countries.

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