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Al-Qaeda’s former Mufti: Gulf fools underestimate dangers of war with Iran

May 21, 2019 at 3:09 am

The Strait of Hormuz, Between Iran, Oman and the UAE [Flickr: eutrophication&hypoxia]

Al-Qaeda’s former Mufti Mahfouz Ould Al-Walid, known as Abu Hafs Al-Mauritani, has criticised the Saudi war on Yemen and its reliance on the United States against Iran.

Ould Al-Walid explained, on his Facebook page, that it is unlikely that a US-Iranian war is planned. But a confrontation “by mistake or miscalculation” is possible.

He added: “Some of the fools who are Gulf rulers hoping for a war between Iran and the US, though this war is unlikely to occur. However, if it erupted, the Arab Gulf monarchies will be the first victims.”

“In case of a confrontation, the Gulf States will pay the cost of the war. And in case of non-occurrence, they will pay the price of peace,” Ould Al-Walid continued.

READ: Iran calls on Trump to address Iranians with respect, not threat of war

Al-Qaeda’s former Mufti identified a strategic difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“Iran is fighting with the Shiite groups in the region (the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shiite militias in Iraq, and Syria), and has grown stronger. In contrast, Saudi Arabia is fighting Sunni groups in the region and has exhausted its energies with them.”

Last week, four ships, including three oil tankers, were sabotaged off the UAE. The Iranian-backed Houthi group launched a drone attack against two large pumping stations west of Riyadh, which stopped oil pumping.

These facilities were built to substitute for Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for oil and trade, but is vulnerable to attacks by Iran.

Tehran has repeatedly threatened either to close the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a war with the United States or if Iran’s oil exports were threatened.

READ: US-Iranian war will burn everyone

Against this backdrop, the US Fifth Fleet (based in Bahrain) announced last Saturday that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has launched enhanced security patrols in the international sea in close cooperation with the US Navy.

Also, the Pentagon has also announced sending Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and bombers to the Middle East, claiming that there is intelligence information about possible preparations by Tehran to carry out attacks against US forces or interests.

US intelligence has monitored Iran’s placing of missiles on small boats in the Gulf, raising fears of its attack on US forces and assets or the forces of its allies, according to New York Times newspaper.