The Middle East and Fear of a New War

Louis Cardinal Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Chaldean rite, warns against another war in the Middle East, which would

represent “a disaster for all.” In the crosshairs, the attitude of the American president suggesting that a war with Iran is “possible.” The high prelate received the chargé d’affaires of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Joey Hood, on May 18-19, 2019 at the patriarchal headquarters. At the same time, a self-propelled rocket fell not far from the American diplomatic representation, while Donald Trump again made warlike remarks about Tehran. Questioned by AsiaNews on May 20, Cardinal Sako confirmed, “the great fear among the people” is a new confrontation. “Personally,” he adds, “I do not believe it, because it would be a disaster for everyone, for Iran, for neighboring countries like Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and, even for countries like Saudi Arabia. Everyone would be involved.” The Chaldean patriarch explained that “the danger lies in the fundamentalist groups and the armed militias that provoke the Americans and the Iranians, and push them to war,” before adding: “we must think about the 80 million Iranian citizens.”