Like birds of prey flying over prey in the desert, Iran's enemies and rivals watch the street protests in Tehran and other cities with great interest, writes Guardian columnist Simon Tisdall.
The hopes of the US and Israel that the unrest will lead to the collapse of the regime seems to have proved premature. But any present or imaginary weakening of the grip of the power of the Iranian government can become a harbinger of the dangerous escalation of regional tension.
Attempts by Iran, whose population - mainly Shiite Muslims, to protect their influence in the Middle East led to the emergence of many enemies in the country. Iran is currently the leading player in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. These actions, which look like encroachments, have caused a strong outrage not only among the Sunnis to the north and west of Baghdad, but also in the heart of Sunni Islam - Saudi Arabia, writes the publication.
Iranian authorities accuse the Saudis of inciting protests. Until recently, the suggestion that Saudi Arabia is planning a regime change in Iran might seem insolvent. But the contradictions between the two countries reached a historically high level.
The Saudis accused Iran of responsibility for a missile strike at the royal palace in Riyadh. The missile was launched from Yemen, in which the coalition led by Saudi Arabia is fighting Iranian-backed Khusit.
The confrontation spread to Lebanon, where the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman, in the opinion of many observers, attempted to carry out an unsuccessful coup in November to reduce the influence of the Shiite group Hezbollah, supported by Tehran,. Salman called the supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the new Hitler in the Middle East, the newspaper said..
Salman managed to attract a lot of enthusiastic admirers. A parodic video in which Saudi troops capture Iran has become very popular on the Internet. Salman has a powerful protector in the person of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump. The American president has never concealed his hostility toward the "recalcitrant regime".
But the outbreak of protests, which can not be explained by any internal provocation, was a surprise. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence expressed the hope that the Iranian regime will fall, ignoring the fact that Hasan Ruhani is a democratically elected president.
We are glad for a possible regime change and Israeli politicians. Representative of the Israeli government Tsakhi Hanegbi stated that the protesters in Iran risk their lives for the sake of freedom and called on the world community to support them, the author writes..
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who all his political career called Iran a threat to the country, urged politicians to reduce the tone. He did this, most likely, because of the fact that Iranian leaders can direct their anger at Israel.
If Netanyahu fears a negative reaction, he has grounds for doing so. Unlike Trump and Pence, Israel is on the line of fire.
A weakened Iran can strike a sudden blow. His behavior can become unpredictable in Iraq and Syria, as well as in affairs with Turkey and Russia, which so far are convenient allies for Tehran, writes the publication.