Islam Times - Israel, KSA focus on Iran to cover up own crises: US analyst

Islam Times - A prominent American commentator says Israel and Saudi Arabia raise baseless allegations against Iran in a bid to divert attention from their own domestic problems.

“It is easier for Israelis to pretend that Iran is the source of all of their problems than to admit that they, the Israelis, are digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole of their own making,” Kevin Barrett, a famous Arabist-Islamologist, wrote.

He added that the Zionist regime is grappling with “several immense, existential crises” including its economy which heavily depends on the United States.

Barrett warned that an Israeli military strike on Iran would inflict irreparable damage on the world’s economy, saying, “If Israel launched such a war, Iran would certainly inflict tremendous damage on Israel.”

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Israel frequently threatening to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes while promising a crushing response to any possible attack.

“Unfortunately, it is not just Israelis who are blaming Iran for their own problems. The Saudis are spending billions of dollars trying to convince Sunni Arabs that Shias in general, and Iranians in particular, are to blame for the problems of the Arab world,” Barrett stated.

He noted that “some Sunni Arabs” have been brainwashed to show hatred towards Shias.

“In a word: Envy. Iran, unlike most of the Arab countries, won its independence from Western imperialism in the Islamic Revolution of 1979,” Barrett said.

He praised the Iranians for their resistance against the US-led sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

“Today, the West's all-out economic war on Iran has caused serious hardship for ordinary Iranians. But all of this suffering has not stopped Iranians from insisting on independence rather than enslavement,” Barrett concluded.