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Iran-Israel War: Iran and Saudi Arabia have been longtime rivals, with both nations trying to establish and assert its dominance in the Middle-East over the years. However, recently the two regional rivals seem to be on a path of reconciliation, with China– which has cordial ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia– playing the role of a mediator and making efforts the bring the two nations together.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, who share a longstanding rivalry in the Middle-East, mainly due to sectarian differences, have recently started coming closer, as was evident when Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month.
The development comes amidst Israel’s ongoing brutal military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 45,000 civilians, including around 20,000 children, and its expansion of war into Lebanon and other parts of Middle-East. Israel’s aggression, which has pushed the Middle-East to the brink of a regional war, is being seen as one of key drivers behind rekindling of Iran-Saudi ties, with China playing an important role in bringing the traditional rivals on the same platform and helping improve their relations, according to Ynet News.
Notably, at the recent Arab-Islamic Summit in Saudi capital Riyadh, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide”.
In his opening remarks, MBS condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and its military operations in Lebanon, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in both regions. The Crown Prince said Israel was “massacring” the Palestinian and Lebanese people, while also denouncing the obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza and rejecting any attempts to undermine the Palestinian Authority’s role in the region.
According to analysts, MBS is a farsighted strategist who thinks ahead for the future of Saudi Arabia, which he now believes is in peril due to Israel’s aggression that may spark a full-scale regional war in the Middle East. Professor Farid, a Saudi academic, noted that the Crown Prince’s condemnation of Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza, send a clear message to the Jewish nation that the Muslim world will set aside its differences and unite against if it does not halt its war machine.
The warming up of Saudi-Iran ties began with the reopening of each other’s embassies in Tehran and Riyadh, with China continuing to promote regional unity between the two Middle-Eastern powers.
Dr. Yoel Guzansky of the Institute for National Security Studies notes that MBS has expanded his power and influence in the Kingdom in the last four years. and wants to do a balancing act of having good ties with both Iran and the United States.
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