Morocco said on Tuesday that the Polisario Front, a militant separatist group battling Morocco over the Western Sahara, has been receiving funds and weapons from Iran. Iran already has proxies in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Bahrain, Iraq and Yemen, but has been eyeing North Africa lately. In 2017, the Islamist PJD party in Morocco warned of a “sectarian Shiite invasion” and the Grand Mufti of Mauritania called on his country’s leaders to resist the “rising Shiite tide”. This escalation needs to be examined carefully when world leaders are ironing out details to toughen the Iranian nuclear deal. If nothing is done then a direct war with Iran will be inevitable, Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman has warned.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 03, 2018 13:07 UTC