Constraining Iran Requires Ending its Colonization of Arabistan

Al-Ahwaz ^ | Abdullah Al Khazaal

[Eleutheria5]

Despite their lofty rhetoric, Iranian leaders have failed to address their own oppression and discrimination against the Arabs whose oil-rich land they have exploited for decades.

iran’s meddling across the Middle East is increasing. Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen seize ships, Iranian proxies fire missiles into neighboring countries, and the Islamic Republic continues to seek a land bridge to the Mediterranean. Enabling Tehran’s malign outreach is its oil wealth. Iran possesses the fourth largest known oil reserves in the world. Eighty percent of Iran’s oil is found in Khuzestan, the southwestern province at the head of the Gulf. A century ago, the region—once known as Arabistan, or “land of the Arabs”—was practically independent under Sheikh Khaz’al bin Jabir. In 1925, however, the shah kidnapped him and held him under house arrest in Tehran while Iranian troops moved into Khorramshahr (then known as Mohammerah). Occupation followed. Khaz’al never returned. In 1936, assassins murdered him in his sleep.

Across administrations and both before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, successive U.S. administrations recognized Iranian unity and effectively blessed Iranian conquest of the Arab emirate....

For centuries, Persians used the term “Arabistan” to refer to what is now southwestern Iran simply because they recognized that it was ethnically and linguistically distinct. With many of Persia’s largest cities in the interior of the Persian plateau, Arabistan was also secluded, separated from the rest of Iran by the Zagros Mountains. Arabistan’s tribal governance was traditionally distinct from Iran’s monarchy and bureaucracy. The leaders of Arabistan were fine with their loose arrangement with Tehran, believing the protection of the Persian shahs to be preferable to subjugation, harassment and economic exploitation by Ottoman Turks. Indeed, Iranian shahs took little interest in Arabistan until the discovery of oil there in the first decade of the twentieth century

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[Eleutheria5]

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Iranian leaders often claim to defend victims of oppression and discrimination across the region, whether they be Shia communities in other countries or the Palestinians in conflict with Israel. Despite their lofty rhetoric, they have failed to address their own oppression and discrimination against the Arabs whose oil-rich land they have exploited for decades. The discrimination is vast: Ethnic Arabs in Arabistan are not allowed to name their children Arabic names unless they were also the names of major Shia figures. Amnesty International has chronicled the disappearances and executions of ethnic Arabs across the province, as authorities in Tehran seek to complete their slow-motion ethnic cleansing.

Both the United States and its regional partners appear perplexed at how to respond to increasing Iranian aggression. They have tried all the usual diplomatic and economic mechanisms of statecraft, but most do not want war with Iran. Still, despite the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign,” Iranian officials siphon off enough oil to fund and to continue their support for insurgencies and terrorism campaigns. Perhaps, then, the time is now to deny Iran the resources it wastes, restore regional stability, and right a historic wrong by setting Arabistan free

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[Tallguy]

Ethnically & linguistically disting region... that description could pertain to most of the Persian Empire known recently as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Perhaps, then, the time is now to deny Iran the resources it wastes, restore regional stability, and right a historic wrong by setting Arabistan free

Or, just maybe, perhaps the time is now to learn the lessons of the last 20 years and not jump into another Middle Eastern war thinking that this time is going to be different, and that peace, democracy, motherhood and apple pie will sweep across the region if we just do this one thing.

[tennmountainman]

Gina Haskill, Female CIA Director had better get a handle on Classified
Leakers within the CIA.

[tennmountainman]

Sorry. Posted to wrong thread.

[Lurker]

“Perhaps, then, the time is now to deny Iran the resources it wastes, restore regional stability, and right a historic wrong by setting Arabistan free”

Um, no. If we do anything to Iran it should be decisive and final with missiles, preferably nuclear armed missiles.

L

[SauronOfMordor]

I have ZERO interest in expending American lives and treasure to attempt any more “nation building” in the Middle East.

[Truthoverpower]

There is 90 million people in Persia

they got to kick the mullah s out themselves

there’s plenty of folks there to do it. And well back them

Notice how Our great and wonderful president did not take the bait?

[morphing libertarian]

maybe when they drop a nuke from an ICBM he will “take the bait.”

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Eleutheria5.

[Eleutheria5]

Who said anything about a war? Did America go to war to recognize Bangladesh, Israel, or South Sudan?

[Eleutheria5]

And Khuzestan/Arabistan has almost all of Iran’s oil.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Who said anything about a war?

The article calls for America to "set Arabistan free," not "recognize their independence." If the people of that region want to be independent, they need to win it for themselves. Then I'll be happy to support US recognition.

Interestingly, during the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam invaded this region, expecting the Arab population to rally to his support. They did not. And for the most part, the population is not Sunni but Shiite.

[Eleutheria5]

America set Israel free by recognizing the new country, same thing with Bangladesh and South Sudan. If it comes to war, the US can give Arabistan ammunition and intel without committing US forces. It’s directly across the Euphrates from Kuwait.

If you had one horrible Sunni dictator offering to free you from another horrible Shiite dictatorship, I suppose you would choose to stick with the devil you know. But Iraq, now on the mend, is also majority Shiite in many regions, and the Ahwazis are lately being jailed for converting from Shiite to Sunni in protest of their oppression.

So what to do? Do support the Ahwazis’ quest for independence. It’s diplomatically feasible, and logistical support is easy to arrange, and undeniably just. Do not go to war with Iran. That would be a disaster. Do not just keep reacting to Iranian provocations, because sooner or later Trump would either have to go to war, or abandon allies and lose street cred. The best solution is support a free and independent Ahwazistan. At the very least, that would leave Iran shorne of nearly all of its oil revenues. It might even win the US a new ally, although that’s iffish, given the history and tendencies of the region.