Meaningless Saudi-Iran rivalry – II
– Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
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The trend of perceptual Saudi-Iran tensions amid deadly challenges from anti-Islamic forces across the globe is ridiculous and reflects their mutual insanity.
Already without a genuine global leader to properly guide the Muslims globally, Islamic nations are at a lose and in distress but with this “clash” or what seems to be insanity global Muslims are facing vulnerable risks.
In a world now ontroleld by Israel and USA that lead the anti-Islamic tirade even while pretending to be friends of Saudi Arabia and Islam.
In fact, there are no other two nations – Christian or others – that fight like Saudi and Iran do for so long because these two top Muslim nations behave like jokers while non Muslim world has common sense and common purpose and agenda. They indeed perceive and deal with Islam as their chief enemy and always discuss about these supposed enemies and take actions accordingly.
It’s true that Saudi Arabia and Iran are on opposite sides of an Islamic rift going back to the early decades of the faith in the 7th century. Sunnis — the majority branch of Islam — and Shiites are separated by a host of differences big and small, but it began with a dispute over Islamic leadership following the death of the prophet Muhammad. The BBC has compared the struggle between the two countries as a “version of the Thirty Years’ War, in which Catholic and Protestant states battled for supremacy in the 17th century.”
Sectarianism has certainly informed the foreign policy priorities of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Both countries have formed alliances with countries that share their version of Islam. But this isn’t simply, or even primarily, a religious struggle. It’s a political and economic one, a struggle for control of resources and dominance in a politically fraught region.
The Persian-Arab tensions have also harmed the process of establishment of Palestine state as Hamas and Fatah also been divided along Sunni-Shia lines and that is the main reasons why they fight each other and even consider each other as their main foe rather their oppressors colonialist Israel or fascist USA
Finally, the incumbent Zionist US president dictator Trump has cut open the mind of western world being anti-Islamic in essence and with his ultra fanatic declaration on Jerusalem threatening Palestine, Arab world and Islamic world, openly declaring his unilateral support for the Zionist criminal regime.
Needless to say that the perpetual Saudi-Iran tensions have negatively impacted the relations among Muslim nations and also directly harmed the cause of Palestine and Kashmir, among other freedom seeking nations, to achieve sovereignty. .
Saudi-Iranian conflict has also undermined the image and prestige of Islamic world and image of Islam
That is indeed unfortunate.
Recap: What kicked off this decades-old conflict?
Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution played a big role in creating the hostile environment in West Asia as it is today. To Saudi Arabia, the rise of the Islamic Republic posed a double threat: Its leaders were unabashedly Shiite and staunchly anti-American, opposing a close ally of the monarchies on the Arabian Peninsula. No one event spawned the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Apparently, though not interested in annexing neighboring nations, Iran’s leaders were keen to export their Shiite fervor beyond their borders. Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, reportedly backed Shiite militias and parties abroad.
Tensions deepened in the 1980s, when Saudi Arabia supported Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the Iraq-Iran War.
Major backers of Saudi Arabia include Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Iran has close ties with Iraq, large parts of Lebanon and Syria’s current leadership.
After the 1991 Gulf War — which significantly weakened Iraq — Saudi Arabia and Iran became “the two main regional powers.
The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 made Saudi Arabia nervous. The fall of Saddam Hussein cleared the way for the rise of Iraq’s majority Shiites, who were kept on the margins by Hussein’s Sunni-led regime. Iraq’s new governments strongly reflected the new Shiite power.
During the Arab Spring in 2011, Saudi Arabia and Iran flexed their muscles, often backing opponents in countries with unrest.
The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers was staunchly opposed by Riyadh, which feared an end to Iran’s international isolation. As a result, Saudi Arabia has sought closer ties with Israel, a major foe of Iran.
In 2016, things took a turn when Saudi Arabia executed a popular Shiite cleric. Iranians rioted in Tehran and attacked the Saudi Embassy, leading to the suspension of diplomatic relations.
Tensions have escalated further with the recent Houthi missile attacks, which Riyadh claims are orchestrated by Iran.
In response, Riyadh sought closer relationships with other Sunni governments. Such moves led to the formation of groups such as the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
Saudi influence in Iraq evaporated after most Sunni Arab-majority provinces seceded to join the ISIS or ISIL “caliphate” in 2014, and then were conquered by the central government’s army and its Shiite militia auxiliaries.
Which side are major Middle Eastern countries on? And who’s winning?
The pro-Iranian party-militia Hezbollah in Lebanon has dominated that country’s national unity government since 2016. Another Iranian client, the Baath regime of Bashar al-Assad, appears to have won the civil war in Syria by getting thousands of innocent Syrians killed by foreign and local armies. The extremist ISIS of US-Israeli fathers there has been defeated though Israel and USA claims the ISIS is Saudi cat’s paw.
Tehran’s relationship with the Palestinian Hamas has been roiled since 2011, and the two appear to be on the mend.
Saudis unhappy that Iran’s influence has gone from almost zero in the 1990s to predominant in the eastern reaches of the Middle East today. The mildly Shiite Houthi rebels staged a coup in Yemen in 2014, and deepened their control over the country the following year. That was mainly a local development, but Riyadh projected its Iranophobia on it.
Saudi kingdom was more than annoyed that the Obama government struck the nuclear deal with Iran , thereby lifting it out of danger zone and giving it necessary image building. In fact Saudi Arabia began alliance with Israel forgetting the fate of Palestinians whose cause it has always Obama was happy that there could force Tehran to wind down its nuclear program so that Israel does not have any real threat. With the nuclear deal Israel is once empowered to threaten Arab world with possible nuke attack.
It’s hard to suggest that either side is winning and booth of them know it very well and continue with the evil.
External provocation and promotion
Enemies of Islam have been at work to divide Islamic world by all possible ways. They have succeeded in misusing the hidden differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran to their own advantages even as both play into these dirty hands. Both want to keep USA – the chief foe of Islam- on their side. USA and Israel fuel crises in Mideast.
USA, Israel and EU provoke and promote Iran-Saudi tensions.
Saudi Arabia keeps buying extremely expensive weapons from USA – mostly in exchange for oil – with questionable capability to even maintain them. They are no match for Iran.
Unfortunately, Saudi and Iran naively view the West as their supporters in their fight against each other.
Saudi foreign policy lacks clarity and aims. Recent moves of Saudi government, including its efforts to appease Israel, show that Saudi would like to be known as Zionist Arabia so that USA takes it seriously.
Of late, the actions Saudi kingdom has taken give the world an impression that it wants to pro –US and pro-West and is restless and aims at western reform.
In recent times Prince Mohammed is looking to leverage the nationalist rhetoric to solidify his position as he pursues an anti-corruption purge some see as an attempt to cement his hold on power. At the same time, escalatory statements against Iran help shift the media attention away from the domestic power struggle.
Thus far, MBS has treated the religious establishment as allies against radicalism rather than as cultural adversaries. MBS’s argument that extreme religious conservatism in Saudi Arabia is a relatively recent phenomenon, born in reaction to the 1979 Iranian revolution- that is absurd.
Shia-majority Iraq lies on the fault line between Shia Iran and Sunni-ruled Arab Gulf monarchies that include Saudi Arabia.
Someone is obviously advising the Saudi leadership not to lock horns with Iran because China and Russia will work behind the scenes to pull the two nations apart (as a favor to Iran). It is in the interest of both China and Russia that conflicts in the region persist. That way, both countries, Russia and China, can realize greater opportunities to multiply their economic and political footprints in the region, to influence the internal affairs of the Middle East.
The desert kingdom receives the blessing of the religious establishment to repair relations with Iran. Nothing can proceed in Saudi Arabia, from a policy perspective, without the blessing of the hardline conservative religious establishment. It leads one to wonder how Mohamed bin Salman intends to approach religious issues.
From Iran’s perspective, with the nuclear deal failing to deliver the economic miracle that Iranians were hoping for, improved relations with Saudi could give a major boost to the government of President Hassan Rouhani at a time when he faces internal challenges.
Reports of potential Iraq-led mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia come as the latter leads the third year of a costly, intractable war across its border in Yemen. A rapprochement with long-time rival Iran, which is backing opposing forces in the Yemen proxy war and in Syria, could ease political and economic pressures on both sides.
Then leaked emails emerged in which Mohammed bin Salman told former US officials that he “wants out” of the Yemen war. The emails also indicated that the crown prince would not oppose a US rapprochement with Iran. Iraqi media reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had asked Iraq’s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, to lead mediation with Iran. The reported request for Iraqi mediation comes just weeks after Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr travelled to Saudi to meet Mohammed bin Salman and other officials.
Saudi’s compulsions after Arab Spring
Quick spread of Arab Spring only among Arab nations, obviously ignited by USA-Israeli fascist duo, has put a lot of strain on Riyadh which is scared of revolutions that would change the status quo in Riyadh. After the Iranian revolution, this ”Spring” development made Riyadh feel vulnerable to unIslamic reforms.
Any unstable Saudi Arabia would pave the way for Iran not only to increase its influence in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria even further than it already has, but also to start working on other Gulf States, including Bahrain and Kuwait. Iran stands to benefit from a possible destabilized Saudi Arabia. The vulnerability has led to Saudi reforms and the visit of Prince to western capitals.
Iran has experience of the war with Iraq and Saudi Arabia is bogged down in Yemen, after failing to define the future of the Syrian revolution and counter Iran’s influence in Iraq. Saudi Arabia’s rhetoric does not necessarily reflect interest in war,” consulting firm Eurasia Group said, pointing to a potential domestic reason for Riyadh’s combative tone.
The Arab Spring taught Saudi rulers that drastic changes are needed to keep power. King Salman has flouted traditional consensus to install his 32-year-old son as heir. The new crown prince has a poor record on foreign policy and mixed results at home. Internal tensions could ultimately block his succession or even spur a revolt
Now Saudi Arabia’s hidden power struggle comes into the open. Media reported on plans of Amazon and Google’s parent company to build tech hubs in Saudi Arabia which is seeking to have west based entertainments for Arab youths. This seems to be a result of reforms in the country being introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The aim of his efforts is to diversify the nation’s economy and make it less dependent on oil.
There are also changes in social policy resulting in the relaxation of restrictions on women. The results of this transformation, however, will have a long-term impact on the security of the entire Middle East.
Reforms have started much earlier. In January 2015, Salman bin Abdulaziz succeeded his half-brother Abdullah as the king of Saudi Arabia. During the three years of his reign, the country has witnessed changes that observers would not have thought possible at the time of his ascension to the throne. To date, the most momentous political event was the arrest of 208 high-ranking individuals on November 5, 2017, on suspicion of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. The detained included well-known princes of the House of Saud, current and former ministers and business leaders. Although most were later released after paying billions of dollars in fines, this bold move pointed to a power struggle within the kingdom
Meanwhile, tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar — already high due to Saudi-led economic blockade on the country — have also risen because Qatar restored diplomatic ties with Iran. Attentions have also turned to Lebanon after the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri due to what he said was Iran’s meddling in his country and his fears of an assignation plot. There has been speculation that Hariri’s resignation — made when he was in the Saudi capital of Riyadh — was orchestrated by the country’s leadership and that he was held against his will, claims which he has denied.
Amid continuing confusion over the resignation, Hariri has since traveled to Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, before returning to Beirut in time for the country’s Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday where he suspended his resignation.
Did the desert kingdom receive the blessing of the religious establishment to repair relations with Iran? Nothing can proceed in Saudi Arabia or Iran, from a policy perspective, without the blessing of the hardline conservative religious establishment.
One has no clues as to how Prince Mohamed bin Salman intends to approach religious issues. Thus far, MBS has treated the religious establishment as allies against radicalism rather than as cultural adversaries. MBS argues that extreme religious conservatism in Saudi Arabia is a relatively recent phenomenon, born in reaction to the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Yemeni Army and Yemeni Houthis have been beating the crap out of Saudi Arabia in the invasion Saudis did to Yemen. Not only Saudis, but entire ‘coalition’ they assembled from the countries which back them, (Gulf, Egypt etc) and the mercenaries they hired. Iran would roll over Saudi Arabia.
For at least the second time in as many months, Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at Riyadh. No one was injured. Even so, Saudi Arabia suggested the attack was tantamount to an act of war by Iran. Saudi Arabia claims that Iran is supplying the Houthi fighters with weapons. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, backed the claim in a fiery news conference last week.
Tehran denies it is providing the Houthis with weapons. But Iran has repeatedly denounced a Saudi-led military coalition that has carried out airstrikes and other attacks in Yemen for more than three years since a Saudi-allied government was toppled.
This latest missile incursion probably won’t result in any kind of direct conflict between the Middle East’s two regional powers. Though it will, undoubtedly, result in the deaths of many more Yemeni civilians from airstrikes, famine and cholera, an eminently curable disease currently ravaging the country. But it will only deepen the friction between the two nations, which have been engaged in proxy conflicts for decades. It’s a rivalry at the heart of unrest in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon and beyond. Here are some important ways to understand the disputes and suspicions:
Maybe, the royal family is worried more about its survival and domestic stability. Thus, shifting the conversation and diverting attention could be a good strategy. However, if the people of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Khobar, and Qatif among others, were to unravel, combined with ongoing issues in the Shi’a eastern province, things could quickly take a different turn. In that case, Iran stands to benefit from a destabilized Saudi Arabia.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now regarded as the most powerful man in the Middle East. Through the rapprochement with Israel, he is attempting to thwart Iran’s supposed quest to become the dominant power in the region. To improve the kingdom’s finances Prince Mohammed began an anti-corruption campaign, targeted at the richest Saudis. The goal was to recoup more than $100 billion. It the most far-reaching overhaul of the state, economy and society since the kingdom was founded in 1932. Saudi regime has got a lot of money from the princes, other Islamic capitalists who fund the imperialist wars.
The Iraqi TV channel Alghadeer reported that Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the impulsive crown prince who once said that he would take the fight to Iran, reached out to Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, requesting that al-Abadi lead a mediation effort with Iran.
It looks like Saudi Arabia is finally realizing that its impulsive strategies and ill-conceived policies are not working in its favor and therefore reports suggest that Saudi Arabia rushes to mend ties with Iran. This change of heart from Saudi Arabia is due not only to the Middle East’s complex political dynamics, but also the kingdom’s declining regional political clout.
Why this sudden change of heart from Saudi Arabia? The answer lies in not only the Middle East’s complex political dynamics, but also the kingdom’s declining regional political clout. Let us, then, not fall for the Saudis’ empty promises, false indications, and misreading.
An explanation is that Saudi Arabia wants to accelerate the inevitable political changes that will speed across the region once the Syrian conflict is resolved, if ever, tensions in Yemen subside, the blockade of Qatar gets lifted, and oil prices stabilize.
The conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia is fueling some of the region’s most intractable conflicts. In Syria, Iran has consistently backed Assad; Saudi Arabia is financially supporting rebel groups. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia has waged war against the country’s Houthi rebels, complete with a blockade of the country and airstrikes. More than 10,000 civilians have died in the conflict. In Iraq, the two countries may be at odds over efforts to rebuild after Islamic State.
And in Lebanon, experts say Saudi Arabia pressured the country’s prime minister to resign in an effort to destabilize the country, where Iran’s ally Hezbollah has wide influence. This could upend Lebanon’s 2018 elections and disrupt the delicate balance among the country’s religious groups.
Conflict in Lebanon could so easily draw in Israel in opposition to Hezbollah and this could lead to a third Israel-Lebanon war far more devastating than any of the previous encounters. The Saudi-Iranian rivalry has become the organizing principle for Mideast alliances, reminiscent of how the Cold War divided countries along USA and Soviet lines.
The guess is that someone is advising the Saudi leadership not to lock horns with Iran because China and Russia will work behind the scenes to pull the two nations apart (as a favor to Iran). Saudi Arabia wants to accelerate the inevitable political changes that will speed across the region once the Syrian conflict is resolved (if ever), tensions in Yemen subside, the blockade of Qatar gets lifted, and oil prices stabilize.
An unstable Saudi Arabia would pave the way for Iran not only to increase its influence in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria even further than it already has, but also to start working on other Gulf States, including Bahrain and Kuwait.
Intractable conflict
Anti-Islamic world, particularly Israel and USA have been looking for a war between Iran and Saudi Arabia that would involve entire Islam world. They indeed fuel crisis in West Asia and provoke both Iran and Saudi Arabia with mischievous misinformation about each other.
War mongering western and Eastern media promote war conditions for them to quickly attack each other.
Iran is the predominant Shiite power in the region, and Saudi Arabia is a Sunni powerhouse. Is this just an age-old religious war?
Shia-majority Iraq lies on the fault line between Shia-Iran and Sunni-ruled Arab Gulf monarchies that include Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s demand for Iraq to act as a mediator to mend Saudi Arabia’s relations with Iran shows that the desert kingdom realizes a pragmatic political truth: Rather than fight Iran on all fronts, it makes sense to reestablish relations, to work together (though on the surface only) to resolve regional issues (Syria, Yemen, Iraq, etc.), and to find a common ground on oil prices.
However, Iran and the world large is concerned about the Saudis’ empty promises, false indications, and misreading.
One obvious area where they could come into direct conflict is in the waters of the Gulf, where they face each other across a maritime border. But here too fighting could risk a much broader conflict. For the US and other Western powers, freedom of navigation in the Gulf is essential and any conflict that sought to block the waterway – vital for international shipping and oil transportation – could easily draw in US naval and air forces.
Saudi Arabia has taken it its right to be the leader of Islamic world in the region and it cannot accept any other Muslim country to claim Islamic leadership. The desert kingdom’s initiative for reforms stems from fear of losing its leadership in the region—whatever is left of it—in the face of Iran’s growing influence. Those in the Middle East who disagree with the assessment that the reestablishment of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will bring stability to the region keep fueling the crisis.
Iran is gearing up for military upgradation. It has long standing institutional organizations ranging from Revolutionary Guards to Intelligence organizations. It has its own arms industry, able to design and manufacture its own combat aircraft which are competent to a degree, has the technology to design and manufacture tactical ballistic missiles, antiship missiles and many more. Iran claims military superiority over Saudi Arabia.
The desert kingdom (the royal family) is worried more about its survival and domestic stability and if Iran helps Saudi in this regards that as a starting point for reconciliation. Iran is a “peaceful nation” but that it is prepared for conflict because of Saudi assertiveness and its superiority complex but its claim that conflict is the only option left to it is nonsense.
Saudi Arabia increasingly relies on mercenaries as well. Saudi Arabia increasingly relies on mercenaries as well -Blackwater to Colombian mercenaries. In contrast Iran is a republic however you look at it, and even if it is constructed on a conservative religious basis it is still a representative democracy. People have sense of ownership of their country, and this reflects in the motivation of the army. The army is more professional, has experience from Iran-Iraq war.
In contrast Iran is a republic however you look at it, and even if it is constructed on a conservative religious basis it is still a representative democracy. People have sense of ownership of their country, and this reflects in the motivation of the army. The army is more professional, has experience from Iran-Iraq war, and it has long standing institutional organizations ranging from Revolutionary Guards to Intelligence organizations. It has its own arms industry, able to design and manufacture its own combat aircraft which are competent to a degree, has the technology to design and manufacture tactical ballistic missiles, antiship missiles and many more.
Saudi Arabia on the other hand, keeps buying extremely expensive weapons from USA, UK, others, with questionable capability to even maintain them. They are no match for Iran.
Saudi Arabia constructed its army along ethnic lines. The military reflects the tribal divisions which exist within the country. It does not present a strongly united fighting force. In addition, the soldiers do not have much motivation to fight due to living under an absolute dictatorship.
There is a political dilemma where the Saudis are playing a role in Syria and Yemen. It is straining Riyadh politically and economically, and in both places, Iran is playing an important role
Saudi Arabia and Iran have rival interests and alliances across the Middle East, from Syria to Lebanon, Yemen to Qatar. Regional conflicts in these countries often see Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shia-majority Iran supporting different factions that are often split down religious lines.
With Yemen’s civil war, for example, Saudi Arabia backs the Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, a Sunni. Meanwhile, Iran backs the Shia Houthi rebels loyal to the country’s former President Ali Abdulla Saleh.
Tensions ratcheted up a notch several weeks ago when Saudi Arabia accused Iran of being behind a ballistic missile attack carried out by Houthi militias. The missiles were intercepted as they headed to the Saudi capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia said, adding that it perceived the attack as a “declaration of war” by Iran. Iran described the allegations as “unfounded.”
Proxy wars are being promoted by both West Asian nations. Israel’s energy minister confirmed that there had been what he called “covert” contacts between Saudi Arabia and Israel amid concerns over Iran but suggested that Saudi Arabia had wanted to keep “the ties quiet”.
From a Yemeni missile attack to the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, the “Cold War” between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has been heating up. Experts believe the risk of a direct military clash is low, but why have tensions escalated now and how will the crisis evolve?
It seems unlikely that Iran and Saudi Arabia will go to war, at least in the traditional sense. “A broader regional conflict remains unlikely,” Graham Griffiths, a senior analyst at consulting firm Control Risks, told AFP.
Iran would roll over Saudi Arabia.
Could things explode as anxiously speculated by western powers?
Observation – Why reconciliation quite possible?
Saudi-Iran conflict is not a natural one but instigated and fueled and boosted by anti-Islamic nations and media. If there was a conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, however, it would be the most dangerous times for the Middle East and the world. But neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran wants war.
Both Iran and Saudi kingdom promote corruption as their key policy. Is there any Muslim nation that takes stern action on bribery and corruption? Why are they not able to fight corruption? Are they scared of reactions from highly corrupt nations like USA? Don’t the Arab rulers know by promoting corruption they indeed for the people to commit more and more illegal and immoral activities, make the people criminals that are detrimental to Islamic faith?
Even while trying to contain each other in the spear of influence and terror goods supply to allies, both Saudi and Iran promote corruption in the respective society and abroad.
Yes, apparently, Saudi Arabia is finally realizing that its impulsive strategies and ill-conceived policies are not working in its favor. Who ever thought that in an era of arrogant chest pounding the desert kingdom would reach out to Iraq to mend relations between Riyadh and Tehran? But that is exactly what happened few days ago. The young Prince seems to be is eager to fly to Riyadh for a brief stay over.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy, under the aegis of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is hard to understand. Domestically Mohammed bin Salman’s actions are radical and even comprehensible, but on a foreign stage it is very hard to make sense of at all
The desert kingdom’s initiative stems from fear of losing its leadership in the region—whatever is left of it—in the face of Iran’s growing influence. The kingdom’s demand for Iraq to act as a mediator to mend Saudi Arabia’s relations with Iran shows that the Islamic kingdom realizes a pragmatic political truth: Rather than fight Iran on all fronts, it makes sense to reestablish relations, to work together (though on the surface only) to resolve regional issues (Syria, Yemen, Iraq, etc.), and to find a common ground on oil prices.
The future of Saudi Arabia will change as it settles into the region’s geopolitical shift. That landscape is one in which Iran’s influence continues to grow, and Saudi Arabia pursues unsound foreign policies while domestic discontent high unemployment grows. Thus, Saudi Arabia’s desire to repair relations with Iran is a strategic move and has nothing to do with Islamic brotherhood or any other slogan.
The bottom line is that if Iran is seeking to encircle Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia and Israel are trying to encircle Iran. While the increase in tensions has raised serious concerns, few expect an outright military confrontation. Iran believes it also is modern and Saudi Arabia is not. West seeks not merely modernization of Saudi kingdom but also regime change to imbibe western culture and value system, including corruption.
Saudi Arabia’s desire therefore to repair relations with Iran is a strategic move and has nothing to do with Islamic brotherhood or any other slogan.
Apparently, Iran and Saudi Arabia off and on have made efforts to come together. Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the impulsive crown prince who once said that he would take the fight to Iran, reached out to Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, requesting that al-Abadi lead a mediation effort with Iran.
The kingdom’s demand for Iraq to act as a mediator to mend Saudi Arabia’s relations with Iran shows that the desert kingdom realizes a pragmatic political truth: Rather than fight Iran on all fronts, it makes sense to reestablish relations, to work together (though on the surface only) to resolve regional issues (Syria, Yemen, Iraq, etc.), and to find a common ground on oil prices.
Saudi Arabia and Iran’s ongoing battle for power and influence rages on in the Middle East Many neighboring countries have been drawn into the conflict with Qatar, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon becoming proxy battlegrounds in the fight for regional dominance.
So it is not Islam that they try to promote but on the contrary they dishonor Islam. Both only try to tarnish the image as well as importance of Islam by tier meaningless fighting, harming the genuine interests of Islamic nations and Muslims. Peoples of Palestine and Kashmir have not been able to get back their sovereignty from the occupation forces of colonialist nations due mainly to the foolish actins of Islamic world.
Saudi Arabia and Iran could promote proxy wars and sustain cold war but they won’t go for a mad war to attack and destroy each other and kill Muslims. A broader regional conflict remains unlikely, Riyadh would instead look to use the latest missile incident to push for further sanctions against Tehran.
Knowing the cost of a war and loss of humans, both sides would steer clear of open conflict.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, meanwhile, would benefit from a de-escalation of tensions, which hit a peak in January 2016 as Saudi severed diplomatic ties with Iran after protesters, reacting to Saudi’s execution of Shia religious leader Nimr al-Nimr, attacked the country’s embassy in Tehran. The escalation of the dispute has gone too far, and it is going towards an armed struggle, which I don’t think the Saudis or the Iranians would like to see.
Saudi and Iran must end their childish cold war just claim self importance globosely and stop the antagonistic rhetoric forthwith to enable them to resume nu oral relations in due course.
A positive breakthrough in the Saudi-Iraqi relations would lead to the beginning of the retreat of sectarian strife in the Arab-Islamic region and fruition of better ties among Muslim nations. Iraq would be well positioned to “gain a reputation of being a moderate and neutral party” in the region.
Where there is a will there will be a way as well. What is missing in Saudi Arabia and Iran is a strong will to bury the irrelevant past and work together for the welfare of Islamic world and Muslims and for the sake of Islam and its global unity.
Behave please!
Although the struggle for regional supremacy has long defined Saudi-Iran relations, the extent of the turmoil in neighboring countries might have led to the realization that both would benefit from a thaw. Many in the Middle East argue, rightly so, that the reestablishment of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will bring stability to the region.
Normalization of Saudi Iran relations would also create stability in Mideast and keep Israel at a distance. Turkey seeks unity among Muslim nations and these three nations could led the Islamic world. .
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