TEHRAN – The aftermath of Israel’s recent airstrikes in Doha have targeted Hamas leaders under the shadow of US military presence, raising questions about Washington’s role in regional issues. Analysts say the attacks expose a pattern of repeated deceptions, reflecting previous strikes against Iran and Yemen, highlighting the dangers posed by American bases in the Persian Gulf.
In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, political commentator Munir Daair offers harsh criticism of us and Israel’s strategy, describing Doha Summit as primarily symbolic, and the threats in the region continue to fade. He warns that Muslims’ inaction is encouraging Tel Aviv despite $20 billion in annual trade with Israel, despite Muslims’ inaction to encourage practical measures such as halting further attacks, such as freezing trade, closing airspace and ending diplomatic relations.
Analysts also call for a unified Arab-Iranian-Tak security arrangement, emphasizing that Palestine is not religious, but rather a more political issue than stolen land. Without decisive action, the region remains vulnerable to repeated cycles of violence.
Below is the interview text.
How do you assess the importance of the recent emergency summit in Doha, convened by Arab and Muslim leaders and Qatar in response to Israeli attacks? What impact will it have on local diplomacy and security?
The meeting itself was important. That’s the consequence that bothers me. Not entirely surprising, but it’s still very intrusive.
Qatar’s role appears to be crucial in hosting and leading this summit. How do you view Qatar’s foreign policy strategy in the current Western Asian dynamics, particularly with regard to support for Hamas and the Palestinian causes?
Qatar and its fellow PGCC countries are offering very large wake-up calls. Something happened that I and many others have been warning me for a long time. The US not only betrayed Qatar, but also betrayed the entire PGCC, clearly demonstrating its unreliable.
The Zionist regime’s attack could not have happened without the green light of the United States. Also, reports that appear show that Donald Trump not only knows it, but he actually went on. In that reality, it is clear that Qatar was used to coordinate the attack. That’s why Qatar’s billion-dollar American-made air defense became silent during the attack. They are shut down to promote the attack, and you don’t have to be a genius to know who is responsible for the closure at that critical moment. The US military bases in the region are the most powerful threat to the safety of the entire region, not just the countries that host them. And the attack on Qatar is evidence of how dangerous the base is. They do not allow snakes to live in their bedrooms.
The attack was a replay of an attack on Iran. In Iran, Donald Trump had sold the idea that a peace conference would be held in Muscat with Iran to resolve the nuclear issue. We all waited optimistically for that meeting, but we were always unaware that Trump and Netanyahu were planning an attack on Iran. Same playbook as in Qatar. Donald Trump spoke about America’s peace proposal. It attracted Hamas leaders and made them meet to seriously consider American proposals, but Americans and Jews always planned an attack. Lessons learned. The next time we hear America speak of peace, we need to prepare for war.
Iranian President Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Araguchi are calling for Israel to unite and boycott Muslims. What practical steps do Muslim countries predict accordingly? Also, given the diverse interests of the region, how realistic and unified is it?
At the Qatar Summit Conference, Secretary-General of the Arab League, Abul Geis, urged the world to take measures, including the economy, to put pressure on Zionist groups. Ironically, some of the countries Abu Gaiss meets in Doha are that they themselves are in harmony with the Zionist entities of about $20 billion a year. And this continues despite the continued genocide of Gaza, and Doha continues even if it is attacked a little away from where the meeting was held. Meanwhile, outside the countries encountering Doha, as far as Spain and Norway, practical and practical measures have been taken to impose punitive economic sanctions on Zionist groups. Perhaps Abul Ghaith doesn’t know what’s going on. At age 83, people tend to lose consciousness at times.
I sat listening to all the speeches from that meeting. The speakers recurred news broadcasts of what Zionists were doing. We know it all. That’s why they meet. I was eagerly waiting to hear what the summit meeting would do accordingly. This is the fourth summit held since the start of the Gaza Genocide. All meetings were a total waste of time and resources.
Do you ask about practical steps? Okay, let’s take a look. 57 Muslim countries can immediately freeze all of the trade that some of them do with Zionist organizations. They can ban flights from Zionist-controlled airports. They can do the same with ships. They asked the United Nations to freeze membership in Zionist organizations. That’s great, but why not start by breaking down diplomatic and trade ties? These are practical steps that not only completely paralyze the Zionist entities, but also send a strong message to others that we are serious. They will also quickly disable this continuation of genocide. These are steps that should be taken immediately from the first meeting in Jeddah.
The OIC has condemned Israeli strike against Hamas members in Doha. What role do you think the OIC and the Arab League play in influencing international responses to Israel’s actions?
The OIC, the Arab Federation, and similar organisations are bureaucrats and bundles of glorious scribes. Effective roles can only arise from the power centers that manage such organizations. When Iran was attacked, Iran did not seek summits or economic sanctions or make diplomatic pleas. Iran has made a strong, swift and decisive clarity on what the outcome will be for the Zionist group.
What Iran did was shocked to everyone who mistook Iran’s patience and doubted Iran’s ability to retaliate. You may remember how many calls for restraint have been made from London, Paris, Berlin and the EU. It was clear evidence that the Zionist entities were being punished severely beyond what it and its supporters had hoped. If that were the opposite, and Iran had been destroyed, you would never have heard a call for restraint. Iran has shown how the country will stand up to its enemy.
Given the recent attacks on Muslim countries, including Qatar, Lebanon, Iran and Yemen, some suggest an increasing trend in Israeli invasion beyond Palestine. How will this shape unfold future conflicts and alliances in West Asia?
If you don’t mind, I will paraphrase your question. The best results should be not only from the recent Doha Summit, but also from the lessons learned from the actions of Zionist groups and their Western supporters. At the regional level, I mean a country on the immediate line of attacks, but there is a desperate need for regional security arrangements.
The Arab Iranian Turkish alliance is of paramount importance. I wrote this many times before and said this. I can’t say this enough. Distrust must end. This sect’s useless disparity must end. Palestine is not a religious issue. It is a political issue of the land taken away by foreign settlers, and the land must be freed. period. There is no religious angle to that political reality.
If the other side, Jews or Christians have some hope for the Second Coming or the First Coming, it is not our problem, it is their problem. For our Palestine, the Arab political issue, an Arab land that must be liberated primarily by the Arabs themselves. Meanwhile, regional security, and threats from Zionist groups, the US and its Western supporters are directed not only at Arabs, but also at Iran and Türkiye. And these common threats can only be rebelled by strong security arrangements between the region’s indigenous peoples, Arabs, Iran and Turkey.
On the three sides there are nearly 700 million HRs with substantial human capital, technology, financial and economic resources that allow for the creation of very strong security perimeters. What they lack is trust. That weakness is completely exploited by their enemies.
How do you interpret the international legal and diplomatic impacts of Israel’s strike within Qatar? Could this case lead to new developments in international law and sanctions?
no. Nothing happens unless the countries attacked rise to uniformly and make things happen. The world is uncontrolled, and the laws are not made for the weak.
What challenges do Israeli countries face in developing a consistent and effective collective strategy in response to Israeli military actions?
Muslims can support local countries that are directly threatened by Zionist groups. Beyond that, I don’t think there’s a big role they play in.
Can this incident reinforce the Iranian narrative that Western powers allow Israeli attacks while the Islamic states must rely on their own solidarity?
The Iranian story is reinforced both by Zionist aggression and by Iran’s punitive retaliation for its attacks. Others in the region, the Arabs and Turkey, either follow Iranian examples of strengthening themselves by alliances with Iran in regional security arrangements, or are subject to continued Zionist attacks. There is no third method.