Of late, the traditional Arab-Persian rivalry over the nomenclature of the Gulf has resurfaced with the custom officials in Iran reportedly refusing entry of products from Gulf countries which carry the phrase “Arabian Gulf”.

The recurring demands for retaining the “Arab character” of Iraq should be seen as a tactic to warn against Iranian “meddling” in Iraq. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have openly expressed their concerns over any Iranian role in the Iraq crisis. Earlier this month, in a development marked by unprecedented candidness, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned: “Definitely Iran has influence on Shiites. Shiites are 65 per cent of the Iraqis... Most of the Shiites are loyal to Iran, and not to the countries they are living in.”

The prolonged dispute over the Shatt al-Arab waterway that separates Iran and Iraq is still not resolved and the arrest of Iraqi sailors has fuelled fears of Iranian expansionism. Tehran still occupies three islands also claimed by the UAE.

Immediately after the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there were tensions over the publication of a cartoon in a Bahrain daily, which was seen to be offensive to the Shias. The Shias of Bahrain have often taken to the streets against the Sunni-dominated ruling dynasty. Private talk by Iranian diplomats of a “Shia crescent” — from Bahrain to Bekaa Valley in Lebanon — does not go down well with the Sunni-majority Arabs of the Middle East.

Latent Arab concerns vis-a-vis nuclear Iran came into the open during the February vote at the IAEA. Iran’s only regional ally, Syria, joined hands with other maverick states like Cuba and Venezuela and supported Tehran. The two other Arab members of the Agency, Egypt and Yemen, quietly voted with the majority that went against Iran.

... contd.