First target for Iran: Qatar?
By Olivier Guitta
Iran has been vocal about what it would do in case of an American or Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities.
I just wrote a piece on that topic for the Middle East Times.
Here is an excerpt:
What would be the most logical target Iran would strike in case of a U.S. or Israeli attack on its nuclear sites?
Qatar.
In fact, Iranian Revolutionary guards have already threatened to attack Qatari oil and gas facilities (hence crippling the world economy by creating an oil and gas shock) by sea and air by using suicide boats and air missiles.
For Iran, it's a no-brainer: Qatar hosts the largest U.S. base in the Middle East (8,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed there) and is also viewed by some as being friendly with Israel.
What is Qatar doing about it?
First and foremost, Qatar has been heavily using the diplomatic weapon. Its strategy is to befriend everyone: from Israel to Hamas, from Syria to France.
Even though Qatar's deputy foreign minister Mohamed al-Ruhaimi firmly believes that "speaking to everyone allows us to have a dynamic and independent policy," it is a recipe for disaster. For instance, Qatar has not been terror-free: in fact, in March 2005, a suicide bomber (most likely linked or inspired by al-Qaida) killed one Briton and wounded 12 people in Doha in an attack at a theater frequented by Westerners.
To read the rest, please click here.
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