Tehran’s duplicitous ploy is wearing thin

Escape of 14 terrorists from Kuwait to Iran is further proof of latter’s connivance with seditious elements

ust days after the government of the United States imposed sanctions on 18 individuals and groups from Iran, responsible for aiding and abetting the proliferation of Tehran’s nonnuclear weapons programmes, yet another example of the meddling and seditious interference by the regime across the Arabian Gulf comes to light. Fourteen Shiite Kuwaiti citizens have fled the authorities and justice in Kuwait City, hightailing it in a powerful speedboat across the high seas back to Iran.

These are no ordinary persons fleeing misdemeanours. They are criminals of the highest order, convicted by Kuwait’s Supreme Court of acts of treason in plotting bomb attacks across the country — acts of terror with but one aim in mind: The instigation of sectarian violence for the propagation of Iranian influence.

The incident comes at a time when the offices of the Government of Kuwait are being utilised by the four brotherly nations of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt as a channel of mediation in dealing with Qatar and its support for individuals and groups who spread sedition and terror across the region. The government in Doha has continued to foster close ties with Tehran, a relationship that undermines the work being done by members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as a whole.

Regardless of who holds the presidency in Iran, or the words it has uttered to convince the international community that economic, financial and punitive sanctions against its people should be lifted over the regime’s commitment to a peaceful nuclear programme, rather than one that destabilises the entire region, the actions of the regime speak far louder.

Be under no illusion: Iran is a menace. Tehran arms and abets Al Houthi rebels in Yemen, a group directly responsible for the overthrow of the legitimate government there, casting the nation in egregious hardship, chaos and violence. In Lebanon, Iranianbacked and funded Hezbollah has been a destabilising and negative entity for years, standing in the way of real progress for decades. In Syria, Iranian-backed and funded militias are responsible for keeping the murderous regime of President Bashar Al Assad in power. And in Iraq, Iranian-backed and funded militias are allied closely with the government, ensuring a sectarian and divisive rule. In Bahrain, the actions and interference of Tehran are evident in the riotous behaviour and violent conduct of the few who were fired up by Iranian provocateurs.

Iran cannot be trusted. If it really wants to prove itself to the contrary, let it return those 14 terrorists who have fled Kuwait.