‘Iran is a military threat to the region.’ Refuted by history. If you believe the harsh rhetoric of many policymakers, Iran is the principal warmonger in the region. This isn’t really the case. In the past 60 years, the Middle East has seen numerous conflicts. Egypt attacked Israel twice. Iraq invaded Israel, Iran and Kuwait. Syria also boasts three attacks, two on Israel and one invasion of Lebanon. In 60 years of existence, Israel has launched four attacks on neighboring countries, not to mention numerous incursions into the occupied territories.
The last time Iran attacked a neighboring country was the 1739 invasion of Mughal India. In the meantime, Iran was invaded several times: by Russia, by the Allies during World War II, and by Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist Iraq in 1980 (with near-unanimous support from the international community).
It’s no surprise why physical security is Iran’s top foreign-policy priority. The two options left are to keep pressuring Iran and adding to its radicalism, or soothe its legitimate security concerns by giving the government some needed guarantees.
Reza Zia-Ebrahimi is a Middle East consultant and commentator based in Oxford, UK. His current research focuses on Iranian nationalism and security in the Persian Gulf. He has worked for international organizations including Interpeace and the World Economic Forum.

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