Jordan's King Criticizes Iran's 'Interference' in Other Countries' Affairs

Continuing the widespread criticism from Iran's Arab neighbors, King Abdullah II of Jordan described the imminent lifting of financial sanctions on Iran as a "source of concern for his country and many others in the region." According to CNN, the Hashemite king, who was visiting the United States, also stated that "Iran's actions should be monitored after the sanctions are lifted to see if it is committed to regional stability or not." King Abdullah II made these remarks in an interview with American journalist Wolf Blitzer, which aired on CNN on Wednesday night, January 13. The CNN reporter asked the king about the upcoming implementation of the final nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which would allow Iran to access billions of dollars of its frozen assets; what does Jordan think about this? In response, King Abdullah said, "This is concerning for the entire region...but it also relates to the nuclear agreement and Iran's actions in other areas." When asked whether Jordan trusts Iran, the king stated that his country has relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, but added: "We are witnessing Iran's interference in lands beyond its borders." The king noted, "Iran is intervening in Yemen and Africa and is specifically involved in the affairs of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan." Jordan, which has close ties with Saudi Arabia, has, unlike several Arab countries, only summoned Mojtaba Fardousipour, the Iranian ambassador in Amman, during the recent crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran, while maintaining its full diplomatic relations with Iran. The king's criticism comes as last year's visit by Nasser Judeh, Jordan's foreign minister, to Iran and his meetings with his Iranian counterpart and with President Hassan Rouhani were seen as a turning point in improving relations between Amman and Tehran. Unlike some countries in the region, Jordan is not insistent on sidelining Bashar al-Assad from Syrian leadership. The Jordanian king, whose country has remarkably stayed away from the crises of the past five years in the Middle East, also stated in the CNN interview that "ISIS can be defeated easily; it only requires seriousness and planning." The burning of a Jordanian pilot in a cage by ISIS last year was one of the black marks on the record of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria that shocked the world and solidified Jordan's resolve to fight ISIS. Meanwhile, over one million six hundred thousand Syrian refugees have strained Jordan's weak economy, and the country is seeking more assistance from the United Nations and global organizations. During his recent stay in Washington, King Abdullah held separate meetings with John Kerry and Ashton Carter, the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense, and also met with Joe Biden, the U.S. Vice President.