By Finian Cunningham

May 28, 2019 "Information Clearing House" -  When history of the present US-Iran stand-off in the Persian Gulf is written, future scholars may note how it was Tehran that saved the day from full-scale war by its responsible diplomatic outreach to regional neighbors.

This weekend saw the usual feckless American vacillations resulting in even more military power being deployed in the Middle East where US troops already number some 70,000.

President Donald Trump has dispatched more squadrons of fighter jets, warships and missiles which he says are for “protection” against alleged Iranian threats. He also signed off $7 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia citing “an emergency.” Tehran condemned the latest US force escalation as “highly dangerous.”

At the same time, by contrast, Iranian diplomats engaged in a regional tour calling on all countries to cooperate on maintaining mutual security. Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif while visiting Iraq urged all Persian Gulf countries to form a non-aggression pact. Earlier, Zarif also took his message to Pakistan. Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is visiting Kuwait, Oman and Qatar this week proffering the same entente.

The diplomatic overtures from Iran could be a watershed development. Can nations that have previously seen bilateral relations with Iran distorted by Sunni-Shia religious tensions put aside sectarian divisions and work together to preserve peace in the region?

If they can rise to the occasion, the resulting solidarity would be a blow to Washington’s dominance in the Middle East, where the Americans have sought to isolate Iran from its neighbors with repeated and usually unfounded claims of “aggression” by Iran and “Shia proxies.” Essentially, divide-and-rule tactics.