Riyadh broke off relations with Tehran, and the UAE downgraded ties.
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“And I know that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agrees with that”. It no longer fools anyone, except those laying in the white house, and those shutting their eyes so that they do not perceive “the Iranian support for terrorism” which happens to be Iran’s official stance. The move prompted outrage in Iran, where rioters overran the Saudi embassy, prompting the Gulf monarchy to withdraw its ambassador.
Observers have presented different reasons behind Saudi Arabia’s execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, the outspoken cleric who spoke for Shia rights. With its close business and trade ties to Tehran, analysts expect the UAE economy, particularly in Dubai, to benefit when worldwide sanctions against Iran are lifted under the terms of a nuclear deal. At this point, the Saudis are likely to continue the proxy war and hope that the Iranians do something foolish to upset the nuclear deal with the West. Until then, Saudi Arabia will make a lot of noise and attempt subversive activities, but nothing more.
The Saudis pursued three goals by executing al-Nimr.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has anointed Dore Gold, the director-general of the foreign ministry to lead outreach, to take advantage of the Gulf’s disdain towards Tehran, just weeks after the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Iran was attacked by extremists. This has boosted the Saudi position and potentially changed the conflict dynamic between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia remains committed to a solution in Syria despite its own tensions with Iran, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said in London on Thursday.
Those sanctions may be lifted as early as Friday. This measure is particularly important not only to appease Saudi Arabia, but also to send a clear message to Tehran that it can not violate global agreements with impunity.
United States Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday (Jan 14) condemned the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-linked attacks in Jakarta, saying the group was merely inviting “its own destruction”.
We are both committed to this relationship and we’re both committed to working to broaden and deepen it in all spheres, and we are both committed to dealing with the challenges that our region faces in a way that preserves the interests of our two great nations and contributes to the prosperity, well-being, safety, and security of our respective citizens.
Fourth, although the U.S.is focusing on de-escalating rather than mediating the Saudi-Iran crisis, it has no choice at this juncture but to play a more active role with the objective of resuming the Geneva talks at a later date to end the tragic civil war in Syria. “The last thing the region needs is more conflict”, he continued.
US lawmakers from both parties have introduced an array of bills in recent days to punish Iran for the missile tests.
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“China is the biggest importer of Middle Eastern oil”, Zhu Feng, professor at Peking University’s School of International Studies, told AFP.
