Note: Reflection on the 'Terrorist' Incident in Tehran; Where are Tehran-Riyadh Relations Heading?

The security bubble of Iran burst with the terrorist attack in Tehran. From now on, Iran has entered a new phase of 'terrorist point marking.' If we have the world map in front of us, ISIS has attacked many cities around the world one by one and point by point. The latest was the terrorist attack in London. ISIS has used the tactic of 'surprise' to launch terrorist assaults on many cities. This surprise can happen again, somewhere else. The first surprise terrorist operation of ISIS in Iran was not in a remote city but in the heart of the capital. ISIS could have carried out this operation in crowded centers to increase the number of casualties, but it targeted two important centers (the Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini) that have special symbolic significance. This terrorist operation suddenly moved from the eastern borders, where the Jish al-Adl operates, to the capital. This means that ISIS has managed to penetrate multiple security layers. In other words, this means that Iran's security layers are vulnerable, and therefore, as ISIS has threatened, the possibility of repetition is not ruled out. If London has been vulnerable in short intervals, why not Iranian cities? Although the terrorist incident in Tehran was shocking and surprising, it will open a new chapter in Iran's internal and external equations. In other words, the ISIS terrorist attack in Tehran is reminiscent of Saddam's missile attacks on Tehran. Until the range of Saddam's missiles reached Tehran, few people were aware of the pain and suffering in Andimeshk and Dezful, which were targeted by Saddam's missiles. Only when the missile attacks reached Tehran was the depth of Saddam's threats felt. Now the terrorist operations of ISIS have reached Tehran. It is no longer Istanbul, Brussels, Paris, London, etc., that have been attacked by ISIS. The Islamic Consultative Assembly and the tomb of the founder of the Islamic Republic in the heart of the capital have been targeted. Now, the depth of insecurity that a terrorist organization can create for Iran has been felt. So, what should be done? Addressing terrorism is not a unilateral and one-sided action. In the age of globalization, terrorism is also a global phenomenon. This global phenomenon stems from one source: extremism. The source of extremism can either be exacerbating ethnic disputes or religious differences. In both of these, especially the latter, the Islamic Republic has failed. The Islamic Republic must accept this bitter truth that it has suffered a heavy defeat in establishing unity between Shia and Sunni. The Islamic Republic has been reduced to a Shia camp. This is while the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution faced popular support in the Sunni world. It is clear that if the rights of Sunnis (like any other citizen) are not provided, the grounds for the growth of extremism will be created. This is enough indication that the terrorists who carried out the Tehran operation were all Iranian. Finding a solution to prevent the repetition of terrorist incidents in Iran is not solely about hardware measures. We must fight the phenomenon of terrorism as an evil phenomenon. For example, one cannot cover terrorist attacks in Israel with cheerful positive news and be upset about the terrorist incident in Iran. A terrorist is a terrorist. There are no good and bad terrorists. Those who use the tactic of surprise and attack defenseless citizens in a restaurant, subway, store, etc., if not condemned, can repeat anywhere else. That could be Tehran. Now the question is, if combating global warming, fighting AIDS, combating trafficking, etc., are international issues that Iran has participated in, is fighting terrorism not a global phenomenon that requires collective will to suppress? In the age of globalization, everything has become global. Both good and bad things. As a result, combating a global phenomenon requires global will. Terrorism is also a global phenomenon. Pointing fingers at this or that is not a solution. In fact, this can be a trap to be drawn into a war. Sliding into war is easy. Getting out of it is difficult. From Tehran's perspective, the terrorist incident claimed by ISIS translates to what the Saudi defense minister promised. Following the ISIS attack, Iran's representative at the UN referred to the Saudi defense minister's statements as 'provocative,' 'an open threat,' and 'an admission of collaboration with terrorist groups inside Iran.' Thus, it can be concluded that the scene of Iran-Saudi relations has entered a new phase that has never been seen before. Therefore, to avoid entering a war on one hand and to find a solution to the evil phenomenon of international terrorism, international will is needed, not blaming this or that. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a statement it issued, pointed the finger at 'one of the reactionary states in the region that supports Takfiri terrorists and has had a joint meeting with the President of the United States.' The IRGC's reference, without naming Saudi Arabia, was clear enough to compel Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, to clear his country of accusations. Tehran has submitted a protest letter to the UN Secretary-General providing evidence that shows Saudi Arabia was behind the ISIS terrorist operations on Iranian soil. Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia, recently made clear and blunt statements saying that the country 'will not wait for war to come inside Saudi Arabia and will move the battlefield inside Iran.' Thus, it can be concluded that the scene of Iran-Saudi relations has entered a new phase that has never been seen before. Although the relations between the two countries have several times ended in severance, they have never accused each other of supporting terrorist attacks. Now, in addition to dozens of tense files between Tehran and Riyadh, the issue of support for terrorism has also been added to them. Tehran now accuses Riyadh of being involved in terrorist attacks in Iran, while Riyadh has previously labeled the Islamic Republic as a supporter of terrorism, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi movement in Yemen (two of Tehran's allies) in the lists of terrorist organizations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. In the context of claiming to fight terrorism, Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr, a Shia cleric, which led to a strong reaction from Tehran and the severance of relations between the two countries. Such retaliations from one another can happen again in the future. What is important is that this way, a new and at the same time dangerous chapter in the relations between these two important countries in the region has been created, which, if continued, could set the entire Middle East ablaze.