[Daily Nation (Kenya)] A proud man, President Mahmoud Short RoundAhmadinejad must be smarting. That's because Iran has been losing face in West Africa. It's a lesson.
Two days after Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, a Mr Ahmadinajed bosom buddy, cut ties with Iran, a Nigerian court charged an Iranian with arms smuggling. Mr Jammeh added an insult.
He gave the Iranians 48 hours to get out. As communications go, entering and exiting Gambia isn't easy. Seven days earlier, Nigeria announced seizing 137.75 kilogrammes of heroin shipped from Iran.
Early this month, Nigeria told the UN Security Council that Iran had attempted to transit a consignment of arms through Lagos. That's a possible violation of the council's ban of Iran's arms trade.
Gambia gave no reasons for its action. All indications though are the deal involving the 13 shipping containers of weapons ostensibly destined to Gambia soured.
Incidentally, if black people blushed, Nigeria's officialdom would be red. The containers remained at Apapa port in Lagos for more than three months before officials confiscated them. Moreover, if the Israeli newspaper Haaretz is correct, foreign intelligence agencies tipped off the law abiding Nigerians.
The consignment included 107mm rockets designed to hit stationary targets. They have an 8.5-kilometre range and a 12-metre killing radius.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki flew to Lagos to clear a "misunderstanding," a diplomatic say-nothing.
Assuming Gambia ordered the weapons, whom does a country of 1.8 million plans to fight?
If a legal deal, why disguise the consignment as construction material?
Moreover, why did the Iranian consignee seek refuge in the Iranian embassy and an associate claim and get, through Mr Mottaki, diplomatic immunity?
A plausible explanation of the saga is the arms headed to re-exportation, with the Gambians, obviously, getting a cut. Iran can use the cash, needs friends, and supports proxies--allies, to be diplomatically correct.
Moreover, Iran's Revolutionary Guards--the Iranian the Nigerian court charged is reportedly a member--is in big businesses worldwide.
It's plausible Mr Jammeh abandoned Mr Ahmadinejad when things went awry. He has a history of U-turns.
Libyan leader Moummar Qadaffy can testify. Maybe, though unbelievable, Mr Jammeh took advice: We are too flimsy to face the storm. Anchor.
The heroin affair seems criminal, unless one takes the view that the Revolutionary Guards makes money by whichever means. In all fairness, Iran's effort in fighting the heroin problem is commendable.
However,
The infamous
However...
in Tehran, getting infidels' money, a possible $9.9 million in this case, might qualify as war by peaceful means.
As all cases of illegal arms and drugs come and go, facts and intentions of the arms and the heroin haul, reportedly destined to Europe, remain murky.
One thing is clear, in quickening efforts to make friends, especially African; Iran might be taking too many things for granted.