Of Course, We Shouldn’t Have Gone

TEHRAN (Iran News) Some Western-leaning individuals, in their own imagination, considered this invitation an opportunity — without realizing that apart from the American delegation, all the others present there were merely Arab and European representatives attending for appearance’s sake, just to fill the space.

As for Iran — of course, the regional role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in being invited to Sharm el-Sheikh was, at the very least, an acknowledgment by Trump and his team of the validity of their own assumptions. He knows that Iran is a major and influential player in the Middle East. No stable or comprehensive solution to the region’s crises, including the Palestinian issue, has ever been — or will ever be — possible without considering Iran’s role and stance.

Indeed, the Palestinian issue is one of the fundamental and key principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy. But — at what cost should we attend? Would bearing witness to the strategy of “destroying Palestine through negotiation” not be a disgrace? The very act of Egypt inviting Iran could never have taken place without a green light and behind-the-scenes arrangements from the United States.

Although Iran–Egypt relations have been at a very low level for decades, and this invitation could have been interpreted as a “soft step” toward gradually reducing tensions and testing the waters of bilateral relations, this summit itself sacrificed Egypt’s own strategy in dealing with Gaza and its defenseless people.

We understand that Iran’s proposed solution to the current crisis (such as forming a “unified state” across all of historical Palestine) contradicts the two-state solution favored by most Arab and international actors. Therefore, Iran’s role in this summit was more one of alignment with others rather than collaboration in finding a practical joint solution.

Although Egypt has stated that neither it nor the Arab League can ignore Iran in regional equations, the final decision at Sharm el-Sheikh was in Trump’s hands — without granting anyone else a role. He simply put a paper on the table, which a few countries signed — those that would have a role in investing in Gaza’s reconstruction in the future — and the behind-the-scenes arrangements for dividing benefits had already been defined.

Now, where could we possibly have fit into that story? Those who recommended our participation had already auctioned off their wisdom — their statements are nothing more than the product of a mind already sold.