Jordan’s King Abdullah II said in an interview published Sunday that his country is facing regular attacks on its borders by “Iran-linked militias,” expressing hope for a “change of behavior” in Tehran.
In an interview with the official Jordanian newspaper Al Rai, the Jordanian monarch spoke of “drug and arms smuggling operations” that “target both us and our brothers” and the need for an “Arab institutional defense system” to counter” common sources of threats.
“As I have repeatedly stressed, Iranian interference affects Arab countries, and today we regularly face attacks on our borders from militias associated with Iran,” King Abdullah said. “Therefore, we hope to see a change in the behavior of Iran, and this must be achieved on the ground, because it is in the interests of everyone in the region, including Iran and the Iranian people,” he added.
He added: “We do not want tension in the region, and Jordan and all Arab countries want good relations with Iran based on mutual respect, good neighborliness, respect for the sovereignty of countries and non-interference in their affairs,” stressing that “dialogue is a way to resolve differences “. King Abdullah believed that “the region does not need new crises and conflicts, but rather cooperation and coordination.”
He stressed that Jordan “always calls for building bridges of cooperation, not for the construction of fences and barriers, and it is concerned about the security of the region.” He stressed that “the security of the Arab brothers is part of our security.” The Jordanian monarch said that “drug and arms smuggling operations are targeting us as well as our brothers as the smuggling reaches brotherly and European countries.” He emphasized that “Jordan is able to prevent any threat on its borders (…) and coordinate with its brothers in the fight against this danger.”
He added: “In recent years, we have made great efforts to calm the situation, but problems still exist, and we will continue to take all necessary measures to resolve them and protect our security and interests.”
Regarding the creation of an Arab security alliance, the idea of which was presented ahead of US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to the region, King Abdullah said: “We are talking about the need for an Arab institutional system for defense work, and this requires consultation, coordination and long-term work with brothers, so that the premises and goals are clear,” and added: “If we look today at the sources of threat that we all face, we will find that they are common and they require the cooperation of the Arabs to respond to them, especially the new dangers of terrorism and organized networks smuggling of drugs and weapons. He concluded: “Historically, Jordan has been at the forefront of confronting terrorist and security threats directed against the Arab countries and their people.”
Jordan, which has taken in some 1.6 million Syrian refugees since the start of the Syrian crisis in March 2011, has tightened procedures along its more than 300 km border with Syria over the past few years and has thwarted and prevented many attempts to infiltrate and smuggle arms and drugs. Amman confirms that 85 percent of the drugs seized are intended to be smuggled out of Jordan.