Moussa Ibrahim, the former information minister under Muammar Gaddafi’s government in Libya, has issued a public warning to Iran urging the country not to trust the United States or repeat Libya’s 2011 experience of engaging with the West, a process that led to regime change through NATO intervention after Libya agreed to disarm and dismantle its weapons programmes in exchange for normalised relations and security guarantees.
The warning, shared by the account GlobeObserver and accompanied by images of Gaddafi in military uniform and Ibrahim himself, comes amid ongoing and intermittent US-Iran talks and reflects historical scepticism toward Western assurances, particularly in the context of nuclear and security negotiations where the weaker party is asked to make irreversible concessions in exchange for promises that can be reversed or ignored.
The reference to Libya is deliberate and pointed. In 2003, Gaddafi agreed to abandon Libya’s weapons of mass destruction programmes, including its nascent nuclear efforts, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, integration into the international community, and security guarantees from the United States and European powers. Libya complied, dismantled its programmes, and allowed international inspectors to verify the process.
For several years, the arrangement appeared to work. Sanctions were lifted, diplomatic relations were restored, and Libya was welcomed back into the fold. Then the Arab Spring began, protests erupted in Libya, and NATO intervened militarily under the pretext of protecting civilians.
The intervention led to Gaddafi’s overthrow and death, the collapse of the Libyan state, and a civil war that continues to this day. The lesson, from Moussa Ibrahim’s perspective and from the perspective of many in the Global South, is that disarmament and engagement with the West do not guarantee security.
They remove the deterrents that prevent regime change and leave governments vulnerable to the very powers that promised protection.
Ibrahim’s warning to Iran is rooted in that history. Iran is being asked, in various forms and through various channels, to limit or abandon its nuclear programme, reduce its regional influence, and accept constraints on its military and strategic capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief, normalised relations, and assurances that the US and its allies will not seek regime change or military confrontation.
Ibrahim’s message is simple. Do not believe it. The promises are worthless, the assurances are tactical, and the moment Iran gives up its leverage, it will be destroyed just as Libya was….See More
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