Seth J. Frantzman
Jerusalem Post, Mar. 11, 2023
“If Iran doesn’t shift its behavior and if there is no deal in Yemen or Lebanon to reduce tensions then the agreement will appear hollow, or it will appear that it is only focusing on one “file” and not looking at the broader region.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be headed to a new era of relations after rounds of talks in Baghdad and support for reconciliation coming from Oman and China. Reports that the two countries have now reconciled and agreed to normalize relations after years of hostility is important for the region. The news is being greeted positively in Iranian state media and the Gulf.
A big elephant in the room is Saudi Arabia’s potential ties with Israel. Reports at The Wall Street Journal and New York Times both indicated this past week that Riyadh has floated the prospect of ties with Israel in exchange for more US support for Riyadh.
What might happen now in relation to this potential game changer for the region? It’s not likely that Saudi Arabia was seeking to normalize ties with either Iran or Israel, instead it had pursued both tracks.
Iranian media has said that “the Zionists” are not pleased with the new Iran-Saudi ties. However, it’s not clear if these issues are linked. What is clear is that Saudi Arabia is seeking a new path in the region and globally.
Diplomacy not conflict
Turkey is doing the same. Ankara has been reconciling with countries it was hostile towards in the past, such as Israel and the Gulf. This means that in general the Middle East is now an arena of diplomacy, and not conflict.
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