Abandoning his predecessor Barack Obama's policy of engagement towards Iran, US President Donald Trump has set out on a path of confrontation. Last Monday, he grudgingly certified Iran nuclear deal, the next day his administration announced new sanctions against 18 Iranian entities and individuals. The reasons cited for the action are that Tehran has continued to develop its ballistic missile programme as well as a deep concern about its "malign activities across the Middle East." Trump's fixation on countering Iran though is not new. During his election campaign, he had described the P5+1 nuclear agreement as the "worst deal ever" that had to be revoked. The alternative though would have created problems with the US' European allies who have been expressing satisfaction with Tehran's compliance record. Hence, the statement that Iran was complying with the nuclear agreement but was also in default of the "spirit" of the accord.

It is worth noting that the nuclear deal does not prevent Iran from testing ballistic missiles, yet it has been used as a ruse to justify new sanctions along with other excuses. Reacting angrily to the move, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif fumed, "I think people in Washington should get it through their minds that sanctions are a liability, not an asset," and further that a separate set of sanctions under US Congress' consideration would be a violation of the 2015 agreement's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The sanctions, however, are not going to hurt Iran, as they are of symbolic significance, but they surely are pleasing for its enemy, Israel, and equally if not more so for its rival power Saudi Arabia, which is embroiled in a protracted fight with it for regional ascendency. US' pushback against the country will further fuel hostilities in an already volatile region. Trump may think projection of American power can curb Iran's growing influence, but that can easily entangle the US in regional conflicts with dangerous consequences. Iran has potent proxies willing and able to cause harm to US troops present in the Gulf. If the push comes to shove Russia, already involved in the Syrian conflict, may not remain an impartial bystander.

At least two compelling reasons suggest Trump and his bipartisan supporters in Congress should go for accommodation rather than confrontation with Iran. First, the country's moderate President Hassan Rouhani has won a second term in office mainly for seeking engagement with the world. Second, the ongoing conflicts have caused unspeakable death and destruction in Syria and Yemen. The ensuing chaos has only helped the IS extremists. Indeed, they have suffered defeat in Mosul and Raqqa but IS and similar extremists remain a grave threat in other forms. Instead of combating Tehran, which may be open to persuasion through dialogue, a sane policy would be to focus on eliminating the common enemy terrorizing people everywhere in the world. Be that as it may, Iran, however, has every right to consider the current Qatar crisis as an opportunity with a view to bolstering its struggling economy but it must not take any sides in the 'war among sheikhs' for the cause of greater peace in the Middle East.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017