China’s diplomacy is changing bloc politics in the Middle East. This has implications for Israel. The government adores the Shah’s son. Why Germany struggles with a constructive policy.
His followers call him Crown Prince. However, the chance that Reza Pahlavi will climb the Peacock Throne is vanishingly small. He seems to have given up his claim to the throne. In Israel, however, Pahlavi was recently received as an heir to the throne.
The fact that he was accompanied throughout by the Israeli secret service minister, Gila Gamliel, who called him “His Imperial Highness” at every opportunity, has evoked memories of the unfortunate cooperation between the Israeli Mosad and the Persian secret service Savak, and not just in Iran.
Israel: Approaches to the Shah’s son
In its fight against the Shiite government of the Islamic Republic in the Persian Gulf, the Israeli government had recently counted on the support of Saudi Arabia, but has since found that the desired Sunni ally, under the influence of Chinese diplomacy, has entered into a dialogue with the archenemy decided on the other side.
Apparently, there was also an opportunity to emancipate yourself from the United States. The recent OPEC+ negotiations also showed that US influence in the Gulf is shrinking. Saudi Arabia cut its oil production but gave Russia the option to maintain its production.
The fact that Saudi Arabia seems to attach more importance to an understanding with Iran under the wing of the Middle Kingdom government than allegiance to the USA was also shown by the fact that talks were resumed with the Palestinian Hamas.
Just two years ago, a Saudi court sentenced dozens of Palestinian members of Hamas to long prison terms. Riyadh was acting in Israel’s interests, the NZZ reported at the time, and saw a sign against militant resistance movements.
Until a few years ago, Israel was quite enthusiastic about Chinese investments in the country, feeling more or less like brothers in spirit when it came to the development of new technologies. Last year, a vigorous objection came from the USA.
As a result, Israel wanted to limit Chinese investments in the country and then turn more to India and the United Arab Emirates.
So far, one has waited in vain for reports of the success of this political shift. With the donation to the son of the last Shah and founder of the ″National Council of Iran″, who has been living in exile in the US for more than 40 years, one hopes to get a foot in the Persian door if the regime in Tehran overpowers the US fanatics should overthrow public resistance and uprisings.
If at the beginning of this year there were still hopes that the fall of the current government in Iran would fundamentally change the Middle East and that the nuclear ambitions of the Shia clergy could be put to an end once and for all, it has now been realized that the victory over the archenemy so soon nothing will.
Germany now has bad cards in the Middle East
As a result of the transatlantic friendship, Germany currently does not see itself in a position to pursue a constructive policy in the Middle East. The attacks of German foreign policy against China do not really improve the position of the federal government in the Middle East.
As far as Iran is concerned, neither in Bonn nor later in Berlin did people understand how great the anger of the Persian population was at the pompous Shah and his secret service, so that the return of Ayatollah Khomeini from Paris exile was seen as the lesser evil .
Relations between the West and Iran were subsequently complicated by the occupation of the US embassy and Iraq’s failed military liberation and Western-backed war against Iran.
However, Iranian activities in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon meanwhile show that Iran has developed into a regional power despite Western sanctions and, last but not least, has built up its own efficient armaments industry with its military drones.
This article is originally published on telepolis.de
