Bahrain is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic ties and also halted all flights to and from Iran after Iranian protesters attacked Riyadh’s diplomatic missions, violence stemming from Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent opposition Shiite cleric.
Advertisement
“The Kuwaiti ambassador traveled to his country only for consultation”, an informed source at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
Bahraini women run from approaching riot police who were chasing protesters against Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr in Daih, Bahrain, a largely Shiite suburb of the capital. It signals extraordinary anger with the United States, and also a willingness on the part of Saudi Arabia to pursue a more assertive foreign policy, especially concerning Iran. He was referring to the execution for “terrorism” Saturday of Nimr Al-Nimr, who had been behind anti-government protests among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite Muslim minority.
“The Saudi government has taken a odd action and cut off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to cover its crimes of beheading a religious leader in its country”, Rouhani said.
In 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded neighbouring Kuwait, Washington sent half a million troops to Saudi Arabia and used it as a base from which to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait.
And he compared Riyadh’s “immature reaction” to the attacks with Iran’s “restraint” after 464 Iranian pilgrims died in a stampede at the hajj in Saudi Arabia in September.
“The Saudis have no intention to escalate… but if the other side decides to escalate, the Saudis are ready to take up the challenge at any price”, said Mustafa Alani, security expert at the Gulf Research Center.
While this may help temporarily deflect domestic Saudi attention from a growing number of self-inflicted wounds – domestic austerity measures, and the wars in Syria and Yemen, to name a few – it also increases the likelihood that a generation of Saudi citizens will come of age identifying with an entitled, militarized, anti-Shiite, anti-Iran view of the region.
After a furious response in Shia communities worldwide to the cleric’s execution, Adel Jubeir on Monday alleged that Iran was creating “terrorist cells” among his country’s Shias.
Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran have long competed for influence in the region.
With Iran and Saudi Arabia not on speaking terms, it is hard to see any meaningful peace process getting underway, Bazzi said.
Tobias Ellwood told the House of Commons that Britain’s relationship with Saudi Arabia was “one of the most enduring in the world” and “critical” to the UK’s foreign policy objectives.
The tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia was not only confined to the accusatory rhetoric.
The second was America’s rapprochement with Iran, particularly the negotiations toward signing a nuclear deal.
Several Saudi allies followed the kingdom’s lead and on Monday scaled back or cut diplomatic ties to Iran.
But that order was swept aside by the Arab Spring wave, even as the Saudi and Iranian regimes held onto their positions.
They also cast doubts over chances for a peaceful solution in Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition has been bombing the Iran-allied Houthi movement for nine months.
“Saudi Arabia and Iran are less likely to cooperate with the other to support prices”.
Yet the implications of the Saudi-Iranian rift extend far beyond their immediate rivalry as competing regional powerhouses and encompass nearly all of the wars raging in the Middle East. The current crisis could further complicate efforts to resolve the Syrian war and could strengthen, by default, the Islamic State.
Advertisement
“This would be much more vicious… by proxy”, said the diplomat, ruling out direct conflict between the rival regional heavyweights.
