Diplomacy not an option, but a must

Jan.9, 2008

Diplomacy not an option, but a must



THE reported dust-up between the US and Iranian navies in the Gulf on Sunday makes us believe that a US-Iranian military confrontation is getting closer. It is as if our hopes that there would be no military action are collapsing as a script of confrontation is being played out.
Both sides have firmed up their positions. Washington, citing its right for a routine passage in international waters, says its warships were threatened by Iranian navy boats and has warned against provocations.
Tehran denies that its boats threatened US warships and describes Monday's incident in the Strait of Hormuz as an "ordinary occurrence." It says it has the right to ask any ships to identify themselves upon entering or leaving the Gulf.
No doubt, the incident strengthens US President George W.Bush's argument, which he takes to the region this week, that Iran poses a threat to regional stability. Tehran rejects the charge and insists that the US is determined to follow a course of hostility towards Iran.
The war of words could continue, but the naval brush-off in the Gulf highlighted the danger of miscalculations sparking a military conflict in our neighbourhood. As we are given to understand, the US warships came close to opening fire against the Iranian boats that allegedly harassed them. It is anyone's guess what could have followed if the US warships had opened up their guns against the Iranian boats.
It is ironic that Iran's behaviour is not helping ease the tension. Often, the world gets the impression that the Iranians are daring the US to launch military action against them. They are either convinced that the US would not take military action against them or that they would be able to wage an effective "defensive war" in the event of a US military strike against them.
That is not the way others the region views the crisis. The region, which is living through the crises sparked by the US-led invasion of Iraq nearly five years ago, is anxious to avoide yet another military conflict that could plunge the area into chaos with unpredictable consequences.
Whatever their self-serving motivations and reasonings, neither the US nor Iran has any right to expose the region to further conflicts and crises. If they have any sense of their international obligations, they should resort to diplomacy and dialogue to settle their differences while respecting each other's rights as enshrined in international conventions and charters.