78
It can obviously be understood better at our day that
Iran conducts the diplomacy not from government to
government; but practices the diplomacy from government
to community. Because Iran knows well that it can’t get the
edge over the governments at Middle East.
159
When the most important problems of Middle East
were reviewed, Iran can be seen in the middle of them either
indirectly or directly. Iran at Middle East especially in
Lebanon and Palestine and more importantly Iraq has a
substantial role. Iran has its importance
about these problems
thanks to groups it gained using religious rhetoric. Iran with
the groups that she established relations by religious ties can
show her presence at different parts of Middle East. For
example, she can keep her space wide with Israel by the way
of Lebanese Shiites, with USA and Iraq by the way of Iraqi
Shiites and especially at gulf countries by the way of Shiites
groups.
160
Like it was mentioned above Iran is influential at
Middle East by its religious rhetoric. Otherwise it would be
hard to dominate at Arabic world with a Persian government
identity. With the consciousness of it, Iran not only uses the
religious rhetoric but also uses the contradiction between
USA and Israel to its policy for Middle East. Iran designates
its living state at the area with religious rhetoric.
When the countries that Iran wants to get influence
over are analyzed, Iraq; after Bahrain with its half of
population was Shiites was the area where the most Shiites
located except Iran. One of the important reasons that put
Iraq another place among others was it had the holy cities
like Kerbela and Necef.
161
The leader of Shiites at Necef
and Kerbela was Ayatollah Mohammed el-Sadr. Shiites
from the beginning of Khomeini government fearlessly
declared that they were the followers of Iran and they would
support it at every turn. They also started protests against
BAAS regime and during this period El Sadr was killed; 31
prominent Shia leaders were exported at the beginning of
June. This situation has accelerated the incidents and Shiites
159
A.g.m., p.53.
160
A.g.m., p.55.
161
Tayyar Arı, ‘’Power Balance at Persian Gulf at 2000s’’,
Alfa pub., 4. b,
İstanbul, 1999, p.190.