"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

An interview with Amb. Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata

2"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

Europe is facing a huge wave of migrants from Mediterranean and African countries.

Failed States, civil wars and massacres brought about by Islamic fundamentalism, by violent regimes and by terrorist organizations will only increase the flows of immigration and their impact on the social fabric of European countries. First and foremost, that will affect national security.

3"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

200.000 illegal immigrants have reached in 2014 the italian shores after having been put at sea by criminal traffickers. Tens of thousands have been rescued by Italian ships.

Human traffickers are often connected to jihadist groups in Libya; people are escaping civil wars, dispotic regimes, terrorism, poverty and desperation. Most of them come from muslim Countries. They seek refugee status, although only a share is entitled to that even under the generous laws existing in most Eu countries.

4"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

However difficult may be to exactly ascertain the security risk posed by those who are smuggled across the sea, we shouldn't underestimate several factors:

• more than 70.000 have disappeared after landing in Italy;

• a certain number of them is connecting with extremist imams, mullahs, islamic organizations which have already been under the spotlight in judicial inquiries on terrorism and on "foreign figthers" in Siria;

• some muslim countries, like Iran, provide financial and political support to organizations which engage in radicalization, antisemitism, hatred propaganda against western values. And it is abominable that migrants could be exploited also to that effect. These activities should be considered a major threath to our democracies;

• extremist interpretations of Islam, appeals to Jihad, and to Islamic dominance caracterize both Sunni and Shiafundamentalism. They are equally dangerous.

5"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

There could be little doubt that Islamic fundamentalism did emerge as a global issue only after the Iranian revolution of 1979.

Iran defines itself as a revolutionary power with hegemonic aspirations, seeking dominance in the region. A country which would not and could not play by the rules while it is led by a regime committed to "exporting the revolution" to nearby Muslim countries.

Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have developed asymmetric warfare tactics aimed at building Iranian influence trough sectarian and political alliances.

Since Khomeini revolution Teheran has always acted as the guardian of the Shiite community in Lebanon, Bahrein, Yemen, Siria, Iraq.

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It has established a strong network of Shiite militias: the Hezbollah in Lebanon; the Houtis in Yemen; the Badr Organization, Asaib Ahlal-Haq, Kataib Hezbollah and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.

While controlling the Shiite clerical establishment and financial networks throughout the Middle East, and even in Europe and in Latin America, the Iranian regime has also befriended Sunni actors in order to reinforce its regional status: it has developed strong ties with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and made inroads into Sunni Sudan, in order to deliver iranian weapons to Gaza.

The current war against Isis should not deflect our attention from the iranian priorities. Teheran's power grab in Iraqi is assured the Shia political influence and the role of Shiite militias in the war against the Islamic State.

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A telling example is the campaign in the Anbar Province. It was supposed to be Prime Minister al-Abadi's show. His Army together with local Sunni tribes and the support of Us air power were expected to easily destroy Isis presence without any help from Iran and Shiite militias. The opposite is happening. After losing Ramadito the Islamic State, the Iraqi Government has given a free hand to Iran and its proxies, so that they can repeat the sectarian atrocities we have already witnessed in other Provinces.

Prime Minister al- Abadi was welcomed by western countries because he was recognized as an inclusive leader capable of appealing to the disenfranchised Sunni minority, ending the sectarian policies of Nuri al-Maliki. Instead, Shiite militias will continue to have the upper hand, and Iran all its return.

8"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

The regional perspective tells us how concerned Gulf Countries leaders can be. At Camp David they were not reassured on the foreseable consequences of a nuclear agreement. There are already contradictory interpretations between the "5+1" and Iran on a number of key issues, in particular: on when and how sanctions will be lifted; how far inspections could go; on the explanations still pending for past forbidden activities; on many other essential aspects of the final agreement.

9"Radical Islam and Iran's nuclear program"

Still, the expectations run very high. They reflect on business communities. Hundreds of trade delegations from dozens of Countries are visiting Iran and vice versa. A big question mark remains on the future of UN restrictions for conventional arms and ballistic missiles. Once the sanctions are lifted, will the Us be able to reintroduce a new resolution? The need to limit arms sales to Iran was apparently raised in Sochi by Secretary Kerry with President Putin. Russian commentators estimate weapons sales to Iran could reach 13 billion dollars. An appealing market for Moskow, after the lucrative sale of the S-300 missiles. And another major concern for Iran's neighbours.