Five days to the World Cup, and a bomb was dropped. I mean, it was probably more of an Iranian suicide drone, and if you want to be really specific, a Shahad 136, yes, just like the one currently being blown up in Ukraine by the Russians, but the message is clear: Qatar, the United States, Messi fans around the world – you thought there was going to be a celebration soon Global football in the Gulf? Let’s think twice.
So first of all, a disclaimer. No, I don’t think the Iranians wanted this tanker attack to harm Qatar’s efforts towards the World Cup. First of all, because the Iranian national team is coming to play football, and with it thousands of Iranian fans who are waiting for some respite from the riots and demonstrations and protests in the country with a goal or two.
But, also because the Qataris managed to position themselves as those who can also mediate between the Iranians and the West, when necessary. Remember the nuclear talks? So at some point they migrated from the cool European Vienna to the heat of Doha. The local Middle Eastern weather did not really help to warm the relations between the parties, but you know – those who position themselves as a mediator, want to be on good terms with all parties. And usually, they also want to be nice to him.
So what did the Iranians want to achieve here? It is a kind of price tag, even if not particularly sophisticated, for attacks attributed to Israel in the air, at sea and on land. If Assad forbids the Iranians to attack from Syrian territory in response to bombings, according to foreign publications of course, by the air force, and if assassination operations of this and that don’t quite work out – not much is left.
But the real question, as usual, is not exactly what Iran wants, but how the world will react. Time after time the Iranians get on the West’s nerves. Just yesterday the British MI5 announced that in the last year Iran has attempted to assassinate British citizens at least 10 times.
In the United States, Secretary of State Pompeo and US envoy Hook are still being secured by US authorities years after they left office, due to Iranian threats – and that’s without even starting to talk about the attempted assassination of the former US national security adviser, John Bolton. And what does the West do? he is angry He is really angry. And in the Middle East reality, it’s simple – not quite enough.