Iran Predicts Demise Of GCC States
NICOSIA [MENL] -- Iran expects Gulf Cooperation Council states to undergo a
major crisis in 2009.
A senior official said GCC states would face what he termed a crisis in
legitimacy. He said both Sunni and Shi'ite nationals would challenge the
pro-Western Gulf Arab monarchies.
"Soon another crisis will grip the Persian Gulf area, and that is the
legitimacy crisis of the monarchies and traditional systems in the region,"
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mohammadi said.
In a June 26 address to a conference of the Basij paramilitary force,
Mohammadi predicted a rapid decline of the six GCC member states, several of
which have large Shi'ite populations. The deputy foreign minister said he
doubted whether the GCC could quell rising domestic unrest fueled by a U.S.
military presence.