THE Kingdom's severing of diplomatic ties with Iran is very good news in the New Year. I say this emphatically while considering the fact that Iran has been making relentless efforts to sow seeds of sedition and destruction as well as to spread the scourge of terrorism not only in the Arab world but in the West as well. There is every justification to cut ties with Iran. Firstly, Iran is a terrorist state. As for Saudi Arabia, it cannot continue diplomatic relations with any terrorist country, and Israel is the best example for this. In fact, the Kingdom has nothing to do with terrorism and hence it disassociated with all countries that have any direct or indirect link with terror. Since long time, Iran has been engaged in acts that infringe the sovereignty of Arab states as was evident in its invasion of the Arab enclosures and three islands of the United Arab Emirates. Its vicious acts could also be seen in its interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain. Iran pursues different practices and ploys in the application of its destructive and destabilizing policy. It is wrong to believe that Iran is a country whose wars were always based on its Shiite religious doctrines. Iran used this only on certain occasions to instigate some sections of the people. There were several victims of this ploy in our surroundings. These destructive acts got inspiration from the Persian ethnic concepts and the best examples for those who used this are Bashar Al-Assad and Hassan Nasrallah. Apart from some rhetoric, Iran had not acted against Israel and it is supposed not to do anything against it in future too. This was evident ever since its recognition of Israel in 1950. The most significant weapon Iran is using for destructive purposes in our region is triggering sectarianism, which has the potential to foment unrest in many countries. In the backdrop of this, it was inevitable to severe ties with this terrorist state. A number of Arab states have had the history of severing ties with Iran, and they included Morocco, Bahrain and Yemen. A new phase has been heralded in our Arab world in cleansing the murky Iranian well and try those who are sympathetic or associated with the Iranian terrorism, irrespective of sectarian considerations of whether they are Sunnis or Shiites. There is no room for any religious school of thought in this political game. There are political mercenaries, which are being misused to activate the terror gangs for the benefit of the government in Tehran. Keeping silence or ignoring the destructive acts of Iran has no place in the new decisive phase. Cutting ties with Iran is a great step toward realizing the goal of halting Iranian aggression in the region. Really speaking, it is the strong message to secure the region from the claws of the destructive force and check terrorism and its forces within their borders. Praise be to God, our diplomatic mission members, their families and children, have returned home safely from Iran.
