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This article first appeared on the Atlantic Council site.

Two very different dialogue proposals are on the table for the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, one from a historic enemy, Israel, proposed in conjunction with a crucial partner, the United States. The other is from a historic rival, Iran, which shares the same neighborhood and faith.

The choice the Arab countries ultimately make could determine the future peace and prosperity of the region.

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On February 15, President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and during a press conference, both leaders hinted at an approaching Arab-Israeli cooperation.

A few days later, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated Irans previously proposed regional platform for dialogue between the Islamic Republic and its Persian Gulf neighbors during a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

The U.S.-Israel proposal encompasses almost all Arab States, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt, Jordan and possibly Lebanon and Tunisia.

This proposals principal objective is a wider Arab-Israeli peace agreement and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the key selling point behind this initiative is mutual concerns regarding Iran, and the proposal has a goal to present a unified front against the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu stated during the press conference that for the first time in my lifetime, and for the first time in the life of my country, Arab countries in the region do not see Israel as an enemy, but, increasingly, as an ally. He further stated that the great opportunity for peace comes from a regional approach involving our newfound Arab partners in the pursuit of a broader peace with the Palestinians.

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While there has been no official confirmation of backchannel talks between Israel and the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, Trump and Netanyahus statements indicate that previous reports alleging secret direct interactions between high-level Israeli and GCC officials have indeed taken place in the past six yearsif not longer.

The perception left by the Barack Obama administration, that the United States is leaving the region and that an increasingly emboldened Iran is exerting power across the Middle East after the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement, has revived longstanding hostilities between Arabs and Persians, and presented an opening to realize mutual interests and foster cooperation between Arabs and Israelis.

Israel has long seen Iran as its major adversary because of Irans support for Hamas and Hezbollah as well as Irans ballistic missile program and nuclear advances.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia along with its GCC partners were alarmed when Iran took advantage of the US invasion of Iraq to become influential in Baghdad. The GCC states also grew intolerant of Irans perceived links to the uprisings in Bahrain and Saudi Arabias Eastern Province as well as Irans support for the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and for the Houthis in Yemen.

Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi arrive at the Hangzhou Exhibition Center to participate in the G20 Summit on September 4, 2016, in Hangzhou, China. Mehran Haghirian writes that if the United States goes forward with plans to move the U.S. Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, or gives a carte blanche for further Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while abandoning the goal of a two-state solution, there will be no domestic support for Arab rapprochement with Israel. Etienne Oliveau/Getty

At the Munich conference, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman quoted without naming him an old remark by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis that in the Middle East we are facing three challenges: Iran, Iran and Iran...and I can only repeat and confirm this approach. Lieberman reiterated that Israel would continue efforts to hinder the Islamic Republics reintegration into the international community in the aftermath of the nuclear agreement.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also reaffirmed his countrys objections to Iranian actions across the region. The Iranians do not believe in the principle of good neighborliness or non-interference in the affairs of others, Jubeir told the Munich conference. This is manifested in their interference in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan.

While the prospect for Iran-Saudi dtente looks dim at present, it is crucial to remember that the future of Palestine is an issue that not only unites Iran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, but all people in the Muslim world. The outlook for the US-Israeli proposal to solve the Palestinian issue is unclear and most likely not possible to be implemented.

If the United States goes forward with plans to move the US Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, or gives a carte blanche for further Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while abandoning the goal of a two-state solution, there will be no domestic support for Arab rapprochement with Israel.

Countering the US-Israeli proposal, Zarif reiterated the Islamic Republics proposition for creation of a regional platform for dialogue between Iran and its Persian Gulf neighbors, or as he called them brothers.

Countries in the Persian Gulf region need to surmount the current state of division and tension and instead move in the direction erecting realistic regional arrangements, Zarif told the Munich conference. To implement this proposal, he said it must start with a regional dialogue forum that encompasses the littoral neighbors of the Persian Gulf, and under the framework of shared principles and objectives.

The primary goal of Irans proposal is to decrease tensions and increase cooperation between neighbors.

The forum can promote understanding under a broad spectrum of issues, including confidence and security building measures, and combating terrorism, extremism, and sectarianism, Zarif said. It could also encourage practical cooperation in areas ranging from the protection of the environment to join investments and tourism. Such a forum could eventually develop into a more formal non-aggression and security cooperation arrangements.

This proposal is not new. Zarif put it forward shortly after finalizing the nuclear deal in an article on Al-Monitor titled Choose your neighbors before your house, and traveled to Qatar and Kuwait shortly afterward.

More recently, on January 24, the foreign minister of Kuwait met with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani to deliver a letter on behalf of the GCC. While the details of the letter have not been made public, Rouhani followed with state visits to Oman and Kuwait on February 15, coincidentally the same day Trump and Netanyahu held talks.

Oman and Kuwait, which historically have had less troubled relations with Iran than other GCC members, have indicated a desire to take part in the dialogue forum with Iran, and have repeatedly attempted to mediate tensions between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia.

The disagreements between rival powers should not preclude comprehensive and inclusive arrangements that address mutual concerns, and that benefit all participating countries. The Iranian proposal will ensure a sustainable relationship between neighboring states based on mutual respect, and eventually, the cooperation could facilitate an end to the civil wars in Yemen and Syria.

The Israeli proposal might lead to a wider peace agreement between Arab states and Israel. However, it will most definitely exacerbate tensions with Iran and increase the chances of a wider military conflict.

There has been no substantial conflict between the Arab States of the Persian Gulf and Israel in the past decade or more, and while a wider Arab-Israeli peace would undoubtedly have a positive impact in the region, it is contingent on a Palestinian-Israeli agreement.

Meanwhile, the rise in contention between some GCC states and Iran in the past decade has arguably had more dire consequences for the region than the absence of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Agreeing to sit at the same table with Iran for dialogue based on a mutually acceptable and beneficial outlook will lead to greater peace in the region and beyond. It is crucial for the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to weigh the rewards and consequences of each proposal before going forward with either approach.

Mehran Haghirian is an Iranian Graduate Student at American Universitys School of International Service in Washington D.C., and he is currently a Project Assistant at Atlantic Councils Future of Iran Initiative.

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A senior lawmaker has criticized the latest public statement issued by the Financial Action Task Force concerning Iran, saying it would be "unacceptable" for the country to stay on the organization's blacklist. "The conditions of FATF action plan have been defined, but if they reckon for any reason that Iran is not cooperating and put the country on its blacklist again, it would be unacceptable," Mohammad Reza Pour-Ebrahimi, who heads the Majlis Economic Commission, was quoted as saying by IBENA. The intergovernmental FATF, which is the global standard-setting body for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), issued a public statement on February 24. It noted that in June 2016, it welcomed Iran's adoption of and high-level political commitment to an action plan to address its strategic AML/CFT deficiencies and its decision to seek technical assistance in the plan's implementation. This led to the suspension of countermeasures for 12 months to monitor Iran's progress in implementing the action plan, but "if the FATF determines that Iran has not demonstrated sufficient progress in implementing the action plan at the end of that period, FATFs call for counter-measures will be reimposed". However, "If Iran meets its commitments under the action plan in this period, FATF will consider next steps in this regard". Pour-Ebrahimi said "if FATF wishes to threaten Iran, it will be illogical and unacceptable". He added that if the organization continues to treat Iran in this manner, the parliament would likely decree that the country must end its cooperation with FATF. In its public statement, the organization points out that "until Iran implements the measures required to address the deficiencies identified in the Action Plan, FATF will remain concerned with the terrorist financing risk emanating from Iran and the threat this poses to the international financial system". The body, therefore, has called on its members to continue to advise their financial institutions to apply "enhanced due diligence" to business relationships and transactions with natural and legal persons from Iran. While the task force has urged Iran to fully address its AML/CFT deficiencies, "in particular those related to terrorist financing", Pour-Ebrahimi said measures undertaken by the country in line with these values are still underway "with a clear procedure and are being followed up ".

Recent Progress Iran has always taken effective measures to combat financial corruption, the official said, pointing to approved AML/CFT measures. Hossein Qazavi, deputy economy minister for banking and insurance, had noted last week that Iran is still considered a non-cooperative country or territory by the organization because of "political factors". "Countries at odds with Iran have surely tried to ensure that it remains on the list," he had said. "But it is necessary that with the same firm language, we should inform them about our anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing infrastructures." The Ministry of Economy recently published a report on the country's interactions with the task force at the time, calling the suspension of restrictions one of the two "landmark" events for the Iranian economy during the four-year tenure of the current government led by President Hassan Rouhani. In its latest report on Iran's economy this week, the International Monetary Fund acknowledged that Iran has made progress in strengthening the AML/CFT framework. In March 2016, the Iranian Parliament adopted a CFT law and expressed a high-level political commitment to implement an action plan. Iranian authorities have requested a fund assessment of the AML/CFT regime against the FATF standards, which will take place late 2018. They also became an observer to the Eurasian AML/CFT group.

Link:
Lawmaker Says FATF's Iran Stance Unacceptable - Financial Tribune

Ted Cruz and Michael McCaul 8:23 a.m. ET March 3, 2017

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Feb. 21, 2017.(Photo: Handout via AFP/Getty Images)

When news from Iran flashes across television screens in the United States, Americans have grown accustomed to seeing belligerence, including ballistic missile tests, harassment of U.S. forces, the kidnapping of our sailors and the unlawful imprisonment of U.S. citizens.

These are not the actions of a rational or friendly regime.They are the actions of autocratic thugs.

The Obama administration appeased Iran for eight years.Now the Trump Administration is ensuring America finally and rightfully stands up against Iranian hostility.

We believe they should also start pushing back against the regimes disturbing and unabashed support for our terrorist enemies.

Iran is the worlds foremost state sponsor of terror, and we are alarmed by their increasing assistance to a whos who list of Islamist militant groups.

Earlier this year, weintroduced a bill to direct the State Department to determine whether the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the regimes military, meets the criteria to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Trump administration should do exactly that. The IRGC is responsible for exporting the Islamic Republics radical ideology and subsidizing terror across the globe.

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But the threat goes far beyond the IRGC.The mullahs in Tehran are well-known as the chief patrons of Hezbollah, which has killed scores of Americans from Beirut to Baghdad, and for their financial and military support of Hamas, which has launched thousands of rockets into Israel. Both have been designated as terrorist organizations by the State Department.

Yet Irans long-standing support for al-Qaeda is what always seems to fly under the radar and its a relationship that should cause particular concern in the West. Consider the 9/11 Commission Report, which described strong evidence that Iran facilitated the transit of al-Qaeda members into and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, including future 9/11 hijackers.

Once the United States invaded Afghanistan, some of al-Qaedas top leaders fled to Iran, including high-ranking members, such as Abu Khayr al-Masri and Saif al-Adel, both wanted by the FBI for their involvement in the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Eastern Africa. Osama bin Ladens son Hamza, who has followed in his fathers footsteps, also relocated there.

Iran has refused to bring these operatives to justice, and in the meantime has deliberately allowed Iranian territory to be used as a facilitation pipeline for al-Qaeda fighters and funding.

In fact, despite allegedly putting al-Qaeda operatives under house arrest, Iran has let them return to the battlefield.Take al-Masri, for instance, who was allowed to leave Iran for Syria, where he has been operating as al-Qaedas second-in-command until being killed this week in a drone strike.

Whats more, theintelligencetrove obtained fromOsamabin Ladens compound in 2011reportedlyrevealeda close,symbiotic relationship between theregimeand al-Qaeda, whichthe reclusive terror leaderpersonallydeemedessentialto al-Qaedasoverallsurvival.

"Iran is our main artery for funds, personnel, and communication," he wrote to subordinates in Iraq, warning them not to threaten attacks in Iran.

Sadly, the Obama administration sought to downplay these ties, likely to minimize public backlash against the White Houses misguided nuclear deal.And Obamas aides helped fuel a false conventional wisdom inside the D.C. Beltway that Iran, a Shiite theocracy, would not really cooperate with al-Qaeda, a Sunni organization.

The past two decades of evidence, however, present a starkly different reality. The Treasury and State departments have for years publicly called out Irans safe harboring of al-Qaeda operatives.

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The terror group has used its protected status in Iran to fund and support new operations, and to escape U.S. counterterrorism efforts so it can rebuild the leadership cadre decimated by targeted drone strikes. When the Treasury Department sanctioned three Iran-based al-Qaeda leaders this past July, it noted they were part of a new generation of al-Qaeda operatives.

The takeaway here is obvious:the murderous radicals who planned 9/11 are replenishing their ranks, and they are doing so with the support and protection of one of Americas biggest foes. We cannot allow that to happen.

The U.S. military, diplomatic corps, and intelligence community must redouble their efforts to aggressively target the al-Qaeda facilitation networks operating in Iran, work to shut them down, and bring those responsible to justice.

We are encouraged that Trump and his team have already been clear-eyed about the Iranian threat, and now they should also focus on the Iran-led axis of terror, including by designating the IRGC as a terror group.

Moreover, any engagement with Iran, such as further negotiations on the Obama-era nuclear deal, must address Tehrans harboring of al-Qaeda members. And we must pressure our allies to do the same.

We will never appease Iranian leaders into moderating their extremism. But we can protect our country and our interests by standing up to them.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, serves on the Committee on Armed Services. Rep. MichaelMcCaul, R-Texas, is chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

You can readdiverse opinions from ourBoard of Contributorsand other writers ontheOpinion front page,on Twitter@USATOpinionand in our dailyOpinion newsletter.To submit a letter, comment or column, check oursubmission guidelines.

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Hold Iran accountable for terrorism: Sen. Cruz and Rep. McCaul - USA TODAY

TEL AVIV Israel and Iran may not be on speaking terms but some of their citizens are breaking out in song together.

Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen and his Iranian counterpart Shahin Najafi performed two pieces at a concert on Thursday night alternating between Hebrew and Persian.

The crowd of some 6,000 packed into the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds clapped and cheered and not just at the music.

Fans erupted when Najafi stopped to read a message to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, who have both escalated anti-Iran rhetoric in recent months.

"Stop the violence between people before it's too late. Let's stop dividing people," Najafi said.

So the two have some things in common, aside from music.

Geffen has often protested about Netanyahu's right-wing government. Najafi, meanwhile, frequently speaks about life in Iran and getting on the wrong side of the Islamic republic's leaders.

The pair met while touring Europe and Geffen invited Najafi to perform in Israel an offer that was taken up.

"For me it's a miracle to bring Shahin to Tel Aviv because of the history between Israel and Iran," 43-year-old Geffen said, referring to decades tensions between the two countries.

"I think Shahin is one of the bravest artists I have ever met," he told NBC News before Thursday night's concert.

While Najafi left Iran for Germany in 2005, a fatwa was reportedly issued against him by clerics in the country of his birth following the release of 2012 song, "Ay Naghi."

The song caused uproar among religious conservatives in Iran because of how it represented an important 10th century Shiite Muslim religious leader.

Soon, an Iranian website offered a $100,000 bounty to anyone who killed Najafi in 2012.

But relaxing in a Tel Aviv studio as he rehearsed ahead of the show, Najafi didn't act like a man with a price on his head.

He spoke of the controversy surrounding his music and why he is compelled to take on the topics he does.

"I believe in what I do and I'm fighting for what I believe in: For democracy, for freedom and for peace and I'm ready to die for it," Najafi said.

The 36-year-old also opened up on his visit to Israel.

Aviv Geffen and Shahin Najafi at their rehearsal session in a studio in Tel Aviv on Monday. David Copeland / NBC News

Israel and Iran have long been at loggerheads. Netanyahu recently spoke to Fox News of a "grand mission" with the U.S. to confront Iran. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to Israel's government as a "cancerous tumor" earlier this month.

The two countries do not even have diplomatic relations.

"Israel is considered a taboo in Iran and I'm very pleased to break this taboo," Najafi said. "I do this in the name of art, freedom and democracy."

Then they practice performing Geffen's hit, "Hope."

Najafi follows the cues from his host as they sing together: "Let's march to our dream, no race or nationality, let's try until things get better."

It's a message both hope will be heard in Israel and Iran.

"This is a great opportunity to show the world that Iran and Israel can stand together on the same stage and respect each other," Geffen said.

See the rest here:
Iran's Shahin Najafi and Israel's Aviv Geffen Come Together in Song - NBCNews.com

Mehr News Agency - English Version

The Gulf States Are Ready for Peaceful Coexistenceif Iran Is - WSJ Wall Street Journal (subscription) U.A.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba writes that with Washington now alert to the threat, we welcome greater U.S. engagement in the region. 'Iran's regional influence not a threat to others'Mehr News Agency - English Version Strengthen Iran's Moderates Before It's Too LateForeign Affairs Iran Prepares for 'Weapons Shopping Spree' After UN Resolution ExpiresBreitbart News Fox News -Arutz Sheva all 31 news articles »

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The Gulf States Are Ready for Peaceful Coexistenceif Iran Is - WSJ - Wall Street Journal (subscription)