The attack on the Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Friday has brought out the best in the Islamic republic in the sense of its classic reaction to it.
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On the one hand, the regime issues a limp denial, in the form of a statement by First Vice-President of Iran Eshaq Jahangiri who said, "On a regional and international levels, anything that happens… the finger is pointed at Iran, like they [Israel] are doing over the fire on the ship with the Zionist ties."
Iranian media, however, boasted that the attack was very much the work of Tehran, illustrating the disconnect between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the executive branch – President Hassan Rouhani and the Iranian government, which also reflects the tension between the two.
Ultra-conservative newspaper Kayhan, considered Khamenei's mouthpiece, declared on Sunday that the attack on the MV Helios Rayan, which suffered an explosion that left holes above the waterline on both sides of the hull, was reprisal "for Israeli aggression in the Middle East."
Its report hints that the Helios Rayan was not a vehicle-carrier as reported, rather an espionage vessel sailing under the foreign flag as a disguise, and claimed that not only is the owner Israeli – he is "close" to the head of the Mossad intelligence agency – which fits perfectly with the theory that the "Zionist regime aspires to tighten its grip on the Persian Gulf by exposing its ties to the UAE and Bahrain so it can more closely supervise its crimes against and axis of the resistance.
"The age of the hit and run is over!" Kayhan exclaims.
The "axis of the resistance" is, of course, what the West calls the "axis of evil" or – to use more politically correct language – the "Shiite crescent." This axis does not use terms like "normalization" or "peace" to describe the rapprochement between Gulf kingdoms and the Jewish state. Instead, it uses terms like "making it public" allowing conspiracy theories to thrive.
Arab social media leveled harsh criticism at Kayhan for fanning the flames, but also note that the attack itself was an act of aggression. Some, of course, rejoice over the fact that "the Zionists have to swim to Europe," saying this was long overdue revenge for the elimination of senior Iranian officials, others are concerned of Israel's reaction, and others still ever dare hope that any such Israeli reaction would topple the Iranian regime.
Special attention should be paid to surprising reactions that level criticism at the United States, Europe and even Israel for not doing everything they can to end the ayatollahs' regime.
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