Another Flashpoint Of Tension Between Iran And The Gulf Arabs

In Iran's Backyard, War Games May Spark New Conflict -- Haaretz

The tiny Gulf islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb may become a new theater of conflict between Tehran and the neighboring Sunni countries.

While nearly all the international attention regarding the Iranian nuclear program has been devoted to a potential Israeli strike, a possible conflict has been brewing much closer to Iran's borders, and could now be reaching boiling point.

Yesterday and today, the Peninsula Shield Force, the military coordinating army of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is essentially the NATO of the Sunni countries around the Persian Gulf, carrying out a war-game titled "Islands of Loyalty." While there are few official details of the exercise which is meant to "test the harmony and coordination among ground, air and naval forces and their readiness," the name is certainly no coincidence.

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My Comment: These islands hold a strategic position in the Persian Gulf. One can easily see from the above map on why the Iranians do not want to give it up.

Cohen: Fear Of Iran Tops Middle East's Wrath Against Israel

From The Washington Times:

Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said Tuesday that fears about Iran have replaced animosity toward Israel as the top concern of governments in the Persian Gulf and the broader Middle East.

Mr. Cohen, a former senator from Maine who was the only Republican in President Clinton's Cabinet, from 1997 to 2001, also warned the Obama administration that it would be a "mistake" to promise Russia to scale back plans for a missile-defense shield in Europe before Moscow helps stop Iran's nuclear ambitions. He gently chided top administration officials for recent comments criticizing Russia, which he said needlessly antagonized a Kremlin still resentful of U.S. treatment after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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My Comment: Some of the worst wars in the Middle East have been religious .... wars not with Israel but wars within Islam itself. The Sunni - Shiite split brings chills to those who are sensitive to their regions history .... a sensitivity that gets worse when everyone realizes that Iran today gives no sense of confidence or reassurance that their intentions are peaceful.

On the contrary .... their behavior is hostile and very aggressive.