In recent statements, China announced “no one wants to see war erupting in the Gulf”, and so did the United States, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and the European Union, as well as the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who said from Tehran that “nobody wants war”.

 

Similarly, Iran claims it doesn’t seek war as previously announced by its President Hasan Rouhani. 

 

It is only natural that no one wants to start a war, given that countries call for it when all diplomatic solutions have failed, and when absolutely necessary. Putting aside all diplomatic statements with their natural course to consider which countries actually call for war and which are trying to avoid it, a question arises: is Iran really among the states that want to prevent war from happening?

 

Through a quick survey, one can see that Tehran's regime is the only administration that wasn’t honest about its intentions to avoid war in the region.

 

Let’s forget about Tehran's regional interventions a little bit, and even ignore its admission to occupying four Arab capitals, and observe the regime’s aggressive behavior over the past few weeks.

 

Iran-backed Houthi militias targeted civilians in Saudi Arabia and attacked two pipelines that transfer oil from the east to the west of the country. The same militias bombed Abha Airport, south of Saudi Arabia, and deliberately targeted civilians.

 

In addition, evidence showed that Iran attacked four ships off UAE's coast last month and two oil tankers on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman near the Iranian coastline.

 

Each and every one of those aggressive attacks prove that Tehran is pursuing war in the region and seeking to ignite it, not its adversaries. 

 

It is not enough to repeatedly say that “no one wants an impending war” unless accompanied by actions that prove it. Instead, it is crucial to redefine the term by saying: Iran is the only country in the region and the world that wants war.

 

Since its establishment, the Iranian regime has been accustomed to standing on the brink of war. With its various parties, the regime can’t surrender to the suffocating economic sanctions which limit its policy of interventions crucial for its existence. 

 

There are parties within the Iranian regime, led by the Revolutionary Guard of course, that are pushing to raise tensions in the region, even if the dangerous escalation led to war. They believe it is the only solution to relieve internal popular pressures. 

 

There are two choices ahead of Iran: either raise the ceiling of demands in any future negotiations, or stay in a region on the brink of war, which is the final inevitable solution for Tehran's regime; a tense situation of repercussions which Tehran is used to toying with. 

 

Perhaps the most frequently asked question in the midst of serious tensions in the region: is war coming?

 

The current atmosphere certainly indicates that, however, reaching the war itself depends on whether the Iranian regime will continue with its aggressive behavior. This would bring everyone to the ultimate undesired solution; maybe not a full-scale war, but a military intervention that could put an end to Iran's aggressive behavior. 

 

It may be an unhappy ending, but certainly better than waiting in the realm of war for many more years.