Iran seeks to impress and combat Turkey’s aspirations

Iran announced it is sending an aid flotilla to the Gaza, and our media spins as to how this is s direct challenge to the West and a threat to Israel. While that might be a side product, the West has an inflated opinion of how much its actions shape Iran’s agendas. Iran is indeed sending a message in dispatching the aid flotilla, but the message is intended for Turkey and the Muslim world.

Iran is vying for supremacy of influence among the regional Muslim powers, and it won’t let Turkey have any aspirations otherwise. That’s often the problem with Western commentators, they tend to look in rather than out and so miss the key stratagems of Middle Eastern poetical theater which is why we are where we are with Iran and Syria both. If you don’t understand the motivations or the intent then one tends to end up with a flawed diplomatic strategy.

Two Iranian vessels carrying aid supplies are due to set sail for Gaza in the coming week, in a move likely to further heighten tensions in the region.

Iranian news media reported on Tuesday that four tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine and clothing would be sent to Gaza within coming days.

“This ship will pass through territorial waters of Oman, Yemen and Egypt before it reaches Gaza. It is said that the ship contains only humanitarian aid and there are no peace activists on board,” Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the official Irna news agency cited Mohammad Ali Nouraee, an Iranian aid official, as saying one cargo will be sent to Turkey, and then shipped to Gaza from Istanbul while the other will leave from the port of Khorramshah

Iran to send aid ships to Gaza – Middle East – Al Jazeera English