Tehran and Riyadh Step Up Diplomatic Interaction as US Prepares to Withdraw

04 January 2011 | 01:58 Code : 9878 Interview
Mohammad-Ali Mohtadi
Tehran and Riyadh Step Up Diplomatic Interaction as US Prepares to Withdraw

On the first day of 2011 the Lebanese daily Al-Safir reported an imminent visit to Iran by ailing Saudi King Abdullah to Iran. No official sources have so far confirmed the news. A visit by King Abdullah to Iran is of course unlikely. After his multiple surgeries in New York, his state of health is not yet clear. It is not even clear when he will return to Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, heir to throne Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz is also in bad health, and has been residing in Morocco for months. The decision-making mechanism has turned out to be quite byzantine in the Saudi royal family, and it is not clear if there is one powerful dominant prince, such as Saud al-Faisal or Prince Nayef, or a congregation of princes who make final decisions. As long as the situation is this vague, no visit to Tehran by the Saudi king will be on the schedule.

However, it is clear that considering the region’s critical situation, Iran and Saudi Arabia need to mend ties. The latest visit to Saudi Arabia was made by Mohamamd-Reza Sheibani, Deputy Foreign Minister for Foreign Affairs, who reportedly was given a warm reception by his Saudi host.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have moved on divergent paths during recent years, especially on thorny regional issues such as Iraq’s new order, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and political state in Lebanon. Riyadh, for example, accused Hezbollah of adventurism in the early days of its battle with Israel in the summer of 2006, however, neither Iran nor Hezbollah pushed their criticism of the Saudis too far and tried to keep it at an optimal level. It has proved to be a logical choice. The US has announced its plans for a step-by-step withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq, and regional actors need to control the situation. I have deliberately used the word ‘control’, since in the current circumstances there is no room to talk about resolving the conflicts.

Beside Iran and Saudi Arabia, Syria can also play a role as a key regional actor in the post-withdrawal era. In recent days, we have seen that the US has appointed an ambassador to Damascus after a five year absence. It also seems that Saudi Arabia has been assigned to function as mediator between Washington and the pro-Resistance bloc in the region. King Abdullah made high-profile visits to Damascus and Beirut (the latter in the accompaniment of Syrian President Bashar Assad) and tried to forge a political deal that keeps Lebanon safe after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) announces its verdict on Rafik Hariri’s assassination. Despite mounting pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, the US is aware that it needs actors to control the region after it tones down its presence in the region. Hence the increased diplomatic interaction between Riyadh and Tehran—even if not at their leaders’ level.