The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have claimed responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane, saying that it was shot down mistakenly by a missile. The IRNA news agency reported that Iran’s supreme leader expressed anguish over the incident and ordered the security authorities to conduct an investigation in order to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future!

Is this the end of the story? No! It is just the beginning.

Was it reasonable for Iran to launch missiles targeting US bases in Iraq without taking precautionary measures in Iranian airspace? Are Iranian military institutions under a unified military command system, or are they simply militias, as was suggested in the conference of the Air Force commander under the Revolutionary Guards? At the conference, flags of armed militias in the region were seen behind the commander and these included the flags of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hashd Al-Shaabi, Houthis, and Hamas.

Was it an error to target ships in Fujairah, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates? Was it also an error when Saudi Aramco facilities were targeted? Was the assassination of activists and media persons in Iraq since October by the armed militias of Iran, known as the “third party”, a result of a simple mistake? American bases in Iraq were targeted during the past two months with as many as 11 missiles and an American civilian contractor was also killed in Iraq. Even the headquarters of Iranian militias in Iraq has been attacked by members of the Iraqi uprising movement, demanding an immediate halt to Iran’s interference in their country’s affairs. Were all these aggressive Iranian actions an error?

Did the Iranian admission of the downing of the Ukrainian plane come because Tehran was eager to arrive at the truth of what had happened? The answer is no! Iran could not hide a crime of such magnitude, especially as global intelligence had put it on surveillance because the crime was so tragic and dangerous, and, therefore, Tehran had to admit it ultimately after its initial denial.

Here is a question, before we get to the most dangerous and pressing question. Was it an error on the part of Iran to continue its aggressive behavior in the region even after concluding the nuclear agreement with former US President Barack Obama and before President Trump considered that pact null and void? The answer is, of course, no.

However, the most serious question is: Is it reasonable to allow a country like Iran, having such degradation and indiscipline militarily, to possess nuclear weapons, especially when the possession of such weapons may lead to a disastrous catastrophe in the region and even pose a threat to international security?

Therefore, it cannot be said or accepted that Iran’s shooting down of the Ukrainian plane was a mistake, but rather that it was part of Iranian behavior and its approach to international affairs. “Tehran is,” as Ukrainian Airlines said, “a very difficult and complicated country.” The Iranian regime is a danger to Iran itself, just as it is to the region and the international community as a whole.

Okaz