In a previous article, I wrote about the recent confrontation between Egypt and expansionist Iran. I suggested in this regard that the increasing tension between the two countries is due to many regional questions including the suspicious Iranian nuclear program, the Lebanese question with the Iranian affiliation of Hezbullah and in particular the Iranian interference in the Palestinian question through Hamas, especially in the neighboring Gaza strip, which has been considered by Egypt as a threat to its national security taking into account the destructive behavior and actions in neighboring Gaza by Hamas with its affiliation with Iran.

This tension between Egypt and Iran, expressed by the explicit and direct criticism of the Iranian policy on some regional issues by the Egyptian foreign minister, indicates the grave disagreement and the significant resentment towards the Iranian policy and behavior, especially through its interfering in some key Arab questions and affairs; the interference that mainly takes a destructive shape.

In fact, this Egyptian expression is an indication of the general Arab disagreement with Iran, and the Arab resentment towards Iran’s destructive behavior in their region, which is covered by an extremist ideology and rhetoric opposed to the general Arab moderate rhetoric and approach adopted by moderate major Arab countries. Furthermore, it is also an indication of the serious level of this disagreement and resentment at which moderate Arab countries start feel a nascent danger and serious threats and challenges posed by Iran’s regional behavior; the matter that exceeds the previous situation of Arab concerns.

Then, the Arab perception of the situation has gone beyond the traditional concerns to a further level of challenges, threats, and nascent danger. In this regard, Egypt, as a leading Arab country, broke the silence on behalf of the rest of Arab moderate major countries, especially in the Gulf region.

Now, it is clearer than ever that there are two competing, and even confronting, views and two consequent projects in the region by two opposing campaigns. Those campaigns are the moderate Arab campaign and the extremist Iranian campaign with its few penetrations and affiliates in the Arab world.

For example of this reality, when Arabs wanted a peaceful, moderate, civilized, diverse, independent and democratic Lebanon, Iran, through its proxy of Hezbullah and its arms, wanted a dominated, extremist, radical and battlefield Lebanon affiliated with the Iranian campaign. In addition, when Arabs wanted legitimacy, prosperity and ceasefire in Gaza, Iran, through its affiliated Hamas, wanted coups, embargo and war there.

The question now is how much could those two campaigns, along with their opposing views and projects in the region, coexist?