Reactions on the Break off relations between Morocco and Iran

It’s Time to End Naivete which Allowed Iran to Act with Impunity in Middle East & Africa: Former Pentagon Official

It’s time to end "permanently the naivete which for decades has allowed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to act with impunity not only in the Middle East, but also Africa," Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Pentagon official, said.

What Morocco's decision to break off diplomatic relations with Iran "exposed was not Iran’s first attempt to destabilize the kingdom,” he said in an article published on Thursday by the Washington Examiner.

"Make no mistake: Iran’s problems with Morocco are ideological. Not only is Morocco firmly in the more liberal, Western camp but it has been at the forefront to fight radical Islamism," Rubin pointed out.

"At issue is the Polisario Front, a Cold War relic and Algerian proxy which has conducted a terrorist and military campaign against Morocco since 1975," he went on.

"The Polisario has had no qualms smuggling terrorists, weapons, and other contraband for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, nor have they shied away from being a link in the elaborate smuggling network that sees South American cartels deliver cocaine to Hezbollah operatives among the Lebanese Diaspora in West Africa and then move it up the interior through the Sahara to Europe," Rubin noted.

"That they would now smuggle weapons and perhaps even use those missiles and rockets against an ally of France and the U.S. should not surprise. They are, for Iran, a tool of opportunity," he explained.

"Simply put, the Polisario have become the prostitutes of global terrorism, looking for patrons who will rent their smuggling networks or fund their leader’s lavish lifestyle," Rubin said.

Morocco has decided to sever ties with Iran because of the military support provided by its ally the Hezbollah movement to the "Polisario", Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said on Tuesday.
MAP 03 May 2018

Arab League Expresses Solidarity with Morocco, Following Decision to Cut Ties with Iran

The Arab League expressed on Wednesday its solidarity with Morocco, following the Kingdom's decision to cut ties with Iran.

Arab League Spokesperson, Mahmoud Afifi, voiced solidarity with Morocco following its decision to sever ties with Iran and condemned Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.

The Dhahran Summit resolution, on the Iranian interference, has reflected a firm Arab stance rejecting the Iranian interference and called for addressing them, he added in a press release.

The Committee to follow up this issue is an effective Arab framework to coordinate policies and unify positions in the face of Iranian ambitions, threats and interventions, Afifi said.

This development, which is the latest episode in a series of Iranian destabilizing interventions in the Arab region, calls for Arab countries not to stand idly by in the face of this Iranian strategy aimed at spreading chaos and instability, Afifi pointed out.

Morocco has decided to sever ties with Iran because of the military support provided by its ally the Hezbollah movement to the "Polisario", Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said on Tuesday.
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GCC Fully Supports Morocco, Rejects Iranian Interference

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed on Wednesday its full solidarity with Morocco, following its decision to sever ties with Iran.

GCC Secretary-General, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, voiced in a press release the full solidarity of the Council with Morocco as well as its support to all the measures taken by the Kingdom to strengthen its sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability.

Al-Zayani, who expressed support to Morocco's decision to sever ties with Iran, condemned Iranian interference in the Kingdom's domestic affairs, saying that the support provided by Tehran to the so-called Polisario is meant to destabilize Morocco and undermine its territorial integrity.

Morocco decided to sever ties with Iran because of the military support provided by its ally the Hezbollah movement to the "Polisario", Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said on Tuesday.

MAP 03 May 2018

UAE Stands by Morocco against Iranian Interference in Kingdom’s Domestic Affairs

The United Arab Emirates expressed its support to Morocco against Iranian interference in the Kingdom’s domestic affairs.

“We stand by Morocco in its concern over its national issues and against Iranian interference in its domestic affairs,” Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted.

“Our policy and our supportive direction towards Morocco are based on a deep, historical foundation established by Sheikh Zayed and King Hassan, may they rest in peace, and our stance is fixed for better or worse,” he added.

The Kingdom of Morocco has decided to sever ties with Iran because of the military support provided by its ally the Hezbollah movement to the "Polisario", Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said on Tuesday.
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Iran is Destabilizing Security of Arab and Islamic countries: Saudi FM

Iran is destabilizing the security of Arab and Islamic countries, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said.

“Iran is destabilizing the security of Arab and Islamic countries by igniting sectarianism, interfering in their internal affairs, and supporting terrorism,” he tweeted.

“What Iran has done to the Kingdom of Morocco through its proxies (Hezbollah terrorist organization) training the so-called Polisario Front is a solid proof of Iran’s interference,” he pointed out.

The Kingdom of Morocco has decided to sever ties with Iran because of the military support provided by its ally the Hezbollah movement to the "Polisario", Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said on Tuesday.
MAP 02 May 2018

Qatar Expresses Solidarity with Morocco in Preserving its Sovereignty & Security

Qatar expressed, on Tuesday, its full solidarity with Morocco in preserving its sovereignty against any attempts aimed at undermining its unity or targeting the security of the Kingdom of Morocco and the safety of its citizens.

"Qatar stresses the importance of respecting the principles governing relations between states, foremost among them respect for the sovereignty of states, non-interference in their internal affairs and the resolution of disputes through dialogue and peaceful means and internationally recognized methods,” Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry pointed out in a statement.

The Kingdom of Morocco has decided to sever ties with Iran because of the military support provided by its ally the Hezbollah movement to the "Polisario", Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said on Tuesday.
MAP 02 May 2018

Morocco Cuts Ties with Iran Because of Proven Military Support of its Ally Hezbollah for Polisario (FM)


The Kingdom of Morocco has decided to break off its relations with Iran because of the "proven collusion" and military support of its ally the Hezbollah movement for the "polisario", announced Tuesday minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita.

"I have just returned from the Islamic Republic of Iran, where I had a meeting with Iranian minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Javad Zarif. I informed him of the decision of the Kingdom of Morocco to break off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran," the minister said at a meeting with the national and foreign press.

The ambassador of HM the King in Tehran left Iran today, Bourita said, adding that he would receive the same day the chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in Rabat to ask him to leave "without delay" the Kingdom of Morocco.

The minister insisted that this decision is a "reaction to a confirmed involvement of Iran through Hezbollah, of which everyone knows the link with Iran, in an alliance with the polisario against national security and the higher interests of the Kingdom".

This decision is taken for "purely bilateral considerations and has no link with regional or international developments" and "Morocco never takes this kind of decision under influence or pressure, but when it comes to its territorial integrity, its national security, the security of its citizens, it can only be firm and take clear decisions".

He recalled in this regard that Morocco resumed its diplomatic relations with Iran in 2014, while this country was in crisis with countries friendly to Morocco.

The chargé d'affaires left for Tehran in 2015 and the ambassador in 2016, which shows that Morocco, despite the regional and international context, has strengthened its diplomatic relations with this country through the opening of the embassy and the return of the Iranian ambassador 3 years ago, Bourita noted, adding that even on subjects that directly concern Iran, such as the nuclear program, Morocco's position has always been clear; the discussion must take place in appropriate forums with regard to the effectiveness of this agreement.

"But Morocco has never taken hasty or inappropriate positions" in relation to Iran. It is therefore clear that this "decision is linked exclusively to Morocco and Iran," the minister pointed out.

"The Kingdom has irrefutable evidence, identified names and specific facts that corroborate this complicity between the polisario and Hezbollah against the higher interests of Morocco," insisted Bourita.

He noted that the collaboration between the polisario separatist movement and Hezbollah gained in scope and visibility from March 2017, stressing that a relationship between the two movements was built well before, already in 2016, when a "committee of support for the Sahrawi people" was set up for the first time in Lebanon, thanks to a benevolent protection of Hezbollah.

"In 2016, Hezbollah senior leaders visited the Tindouf camps to meet with polisario military officials," he said, adding that "the tipping point and most important element that changed the nature of the relationship between the polisario and Hezbollah was the arrest at Casablanca's Mohammed V international airport on 12 March 2017 of Kacem Mohamed Tajeddine, one of Hezbollah's major financiers operating in Africa".

He pointed out that the latter was arrested on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by the United States of America for money laundering and membership of a terrorist organization.

From that moment on, the minister stressed, Hezbollah threatened revenge and began to strengthen its relationship with the polisario against Morocco, adding that bombers and military cadres were sent to Tindouf to train elements of the polisario on urban guerrilla warfare and to train commandos in order to carry out actions against Morocco.

More recently, during this month, a first delivery of weapons was provided to polisario armed militias by Hezbollah leaders, notably Sam 9, Sam 11 and strellas, revealed the minister.

More specific elements will be, and some have already been, shared by the Moroccan services with their partners in foreign countries, Bourita said, noting that Morocco has "evidence, data and dates that show the involvement of at least one member of the Iranian embassy in Algiers in the organization of all these operations for at least two years”.

"The involvement of a member of the embassy holding an Iranian diplomatic passport who works at the Iranian embassy in Algiers was the key element to facilitate contacts and meetings and provide all logistical facilities for senior officials, including Hezbollah military ones, to travel to Tindouf and meet polisario officials," he said.

"Such a strategic decision to militarily support the polisario (...) cannot be taken without the coordination, or even consent, of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he noted, adding that it is not just a meeting or a statement, but "two years of cooperation, two years of visits through the Iranian embassy in Algiers”.

"We believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be alien to all this preparation," the minister stressed.

Bourita affirmed that Morocco cannot accept "that a country trains commandos and people in urban guerrilla warfare, delivers weapons, militarily trains and supervises the polisario soldiers", adding that the decision of rupture "is not against the Shiites, nor against the Lebanese and Iranian peoples, it is a decision, a reaction against unacceptable actions carried out by Hezbollah with the blessing, if not more, of Iran".

"Morocco is not used to take this kind of decision easily and that is why we have taken a lot of time to cross-check the information, to verify every data, every date, every meeting, and when we have had enough elements, indications and evidence that things are being prepared to threaten Morocco's national security and the security of Moroccan citizens, Morocco has taken this decision," he insisted.

"First of all, we wanted to confront Iran with this, that's what I did this morning. We have not received a response that calls into question the elements in our possession and that is why Morocco has taken the decision" to break off diplomatic relations with Tehran.

MAP 01 May 2018



FM Says He Will Receive Tuesday Chargé d'affaires of Iranian Embassy in Rabat to Ask Him to Leave Morocco 'Without Delay'


Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said that he will receive this Tuesday the Chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in Rabat to ask him to leave the Kingdom of Morocco "without delay".

"I have just returned from Tehran where I had a meeting with Iranian Foreign minister Javad Zarif. I informed him of the decision of the Kingdom of Morocco to break off diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Bourita said during a meeting with representatives of the national and foreign press in Rabat.

"The ambassador of HM the King in Tehran left Iran today and I will receive the chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in 30 minutes to ask him to leave the Kingdom of Morocco without delay," added the minister.

This decision is a reaction to a confirmed involvement of Iran through Hezbollah in an alliance with the "polisario" against national security and the higher interests of the Kingdom of Morocco, stressed Bourita.

Morocco has irrefutable evidence, identified names and specific facts that corroborate this connivance between the "polisario" and Hezbollah against the higher interests of Morocco, he noted.

MAP 01 May 2018



Decision to Cut Ties with Iran is Purely Bilateral, Has Nothing to Do with Regional or International Developments (FM)

 
The decision to break off relations with Iran is purely bilateral and has nothing to do with regional or international developments, said, Tuesday in Rabat, minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita.


This decision was not taken under influence or pressure, Bourita stressed at a meeting with representatives of the national and foreign press, recalling that Morocco resumed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2014, while it had a crisis with countries friendly to Morocco.

When it comes to its territorial integrity, its national security and the security of its citizens, Morocco can only be firm and take clear decisions, said the Moroccan official.

MAP 01 May 2018