Amid the on-going war in the Middle East following the assassination of former Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini and the country’s top military Generals, which has claimed over 1,400 lives, former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, (NIIA), Prof Bola Akinterinwa, has warned that the incident might fuel fresh waves of terror attacks around the world.

In an interview with Sunday Telegraph in Lagos, Akinterinwa added that the war, which has heavily disrupted international trade, caused flight cancelations globally, along with Iran’s retaliatory attacks on US military bases in Qatar, Bahrain, UAE and a few other Arab countries, was assuming regional dimensions with religious colouration.

“Iran is fighting a battle of self-survival. And they are prepared to do anything. So, in this case, they cannot easily go to their usual pattern, they are using the missiles, they are intercepting the coming ones. I can tell you, as at midweek, there were up to 1,500 missiles fired. So, you can just imagine. The impact is more than huge and it is worsening day by day,” he said.

Though Russia and China are allegedly supporting Iran, especially with intelligence, even as America is planning to provide military escorts for international vessels in the axis, the Diplomat said that was hazardous.

“In this particular state of affairs, any vessel, even if it is a civilian one, that is approaching Iran, or the war zone, could be interpreted as a military vessel and that is why they have been launching attacks on such vessels.” He added that, “Already, you can see that the killing of Khomeini is now giving religious connotation on the Islamic faith.

And the people are now saying he is their leader and his followers, I can tell you, sooner than later, will produce other groups of new terrorists that will be targeting American interests worldwide. So, like the Yoruba often say Kaka Keku maje sese, yoo fi she awadanu, (if the rat can’t eat the vegetable, it would make it unwholesome for consumption.)

Giving reasons for the attacks on Iran, Akinterinwa said, “besides Iran pursuing its nuclear enrichment programme which is believed to be hazardous to the world, the joint attacks on it by the US and Israel were informed by Iran’s failure to recognise the state of Israel as created in 1948, its alleged support for terror groups in the region, and continued shout of death to Isreal and America.”