Sajjad Ahmad Khan
Saudi Arabia and Iran are the two major powers of West Asia, whose history of rivalry spans many years. The origin of the conflict between the two dates back to before the Iranian revolution, when both countries began to show their teeth to each other for regional hegemony. When the Iranian monarchy ended after the 1979 revolution and the country was transformed into a Shia theocratic state, the antagonism took on sectarian and ideological deep ting.
The hand of friendship that Saudi Arabia and Iran have shaken under the leadership of China is an important development in the political landscape of the Middle East. International political pundits are compelled to reflect on and unbiasedly pinpoint the factors that have led to this development. This seems to be more of a breath of fresh air for the global rather than the regional affairs. In addition to ethnic and historical reasons, the United States is considered to have played an important role in the rivalry between the Arabs and Iran.
It was in 2021 that Saudi Arabia and Iran started direct talks with each other. The initial talks between these two long-time enemies were held in Iraq and then in Oman. They were not fruitful though, yet on both sides a feeling had arisen that the diplomatic route should be kept open. Iran has virtually defeated Saudi Arabia in the proxy war in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. But due to economic sanctions, the economy of Iran is heading towards disaster. Iran is aware that, in order to escape the grip of poverty, it will be essential to put an end to its hostilities with the Arabs, clear the way for growth, and make the most of Saudi Arabia’s position as a major oil producer. Iran was also concerned about Israel’s expanding influence in Azerbaijan and Iraq. This was a Hobson’s choice for Iran to sign the pact under the patronage of a rising economic power.
Following the Iranian revolution, the Arab nations believed Iran was determined to forge new ties with the Middle East, which caused the Arabs to tilt towards the United States. Arab countries took Iran’s burgeoning dominance in the Middle East for a potential danger in disguise. In such a situation, the Arab nations had no choice but to rely on the US to counter the Iranian menace. The United States has frequently disregarded Saudi Arabia’s requests and acted solely in accordance with its own interests. Saudi Arabia was not pleased with the United States’ haughty attitudes, but due to pressure, it remained mute and continued to provide unwitting assistance to the country. Saudi Arabia condemned the US invasion of Iraq and pleaded with the Americans to stop, but the inebriated elephant stomped all of their pleas under its feet. America’s influence in Saudi Arabia waned and on the other hand, China began to emerge as an economic powerhouse and was remarkably agile to expend its influence throughout Central Asia. Saudi Arabia considered it fitting to embark on a new adventure by following China’s lead. Moreover, Saudi Arabia saw the breakthrough with a rose-coloured spectecals, considering that it would help reduce Arabs’ anxiety over Iran’s nuclear programme. In fact, for the past two years, Iran had been domestically seeking to end its political and economic isolation and re-establish ties with Saudi Arabia. Last September, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his displeasure at the slow pace of bilateral negotiations and called his special team to speed up the process of mutual relations. Seeing this interest and passion of Iran, China was not only encouraged but also brought this mission to its fruition. Of course, it was also a tailor-made opportunity for Iran to take a new turn in relations with the Arab countries as Washington and its Western partners were putting more pressure on the Islamic Republic of Tehran. This agreement can prove to be a strong rope for Iran, with the help of which it can come out of the well of isolation and begin a new chapter in its diplomatic career.
The pact’s functionality and China’s involvement have raised suspicions in Washington about Beijing’s provocative role in successfully brokering the diplomatic deal. Beijing’s growing importance promotes the notion that China is growing stronger and more influential, while on the other hand, the United States is losing influence across the world. The American conniption can be conjectured well enough from the statement of one Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, rejected China’s portrayal of itself as peace-broker, saying “it is not a responsible stakeholder and cannot be trusted as a fair or impartial mediator.”
To convey to the rest of the globe that America wants peace in every region of the world, US officials appear to have embraced this agreement. Nevertheless, the truth is very different. In order to win over the world’ opinion, the US is supporting the public narrative that peace between the two great rival powers in West Asia will add to the global energy market. But from a strategic point of view, the Pentagon is not only worried but scared as well. Political scientists claim that the Iran-Arab peace pact is posing hidden difficulties for the United States. The Iran nuclear deal has practically expired, and now the US cannot achieve its goal of improving relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel to build a common front against Iran.
