US Envoy: Iran a Threat to Entire Gulf Region

Says they're backing terrorists and rebels in several nations

In an interview over the weekend, US Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook played up the idea that Iran is posing a major threat to the entire Gulf region, including both countries and individual people in those countries.

Hook said Iran supports “terrorists and rebels” in Yemen, the Gulf, Lebanon, and Israel. He pushed for the whole world to unconditionally endorse extending the arms embargo against Iran. The embargo expires later this year.

Russia and China have both made clear they will oppose extending the embargo, and while Hook insists that it is about terrorism, Iran’s purchases are almost certainly defensive arms to deter a military attack by the US or Israel.

Hook further claims that the “absence of a rational government” was a reason to extend the Iran embargo. The US seems to not be accepting the reality of the situation, and is setting the narrative to condemn Russia and China for blocking the extension.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.