Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Arab states' shifting views may factor into Iran's nuclear calculations - analysis


Saudi Arabia Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman
flew to Iran and held talks with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Thursday, April 17. Iran's calculations ahead of a possible new deal with the United States may factor in the shifting views of the Arab states. This is important to consider. Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, flew to Iran and held talks with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on Thursday, April 17.

Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that opposed the 2015 Iran deal. However, Riyadh has now reconciled with Iran over the last two years in a process backed by China and Iraq. Riyadh is a leader of several key countries in the region, and its stance is influential. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the CEO of IRNA, recently gave an interview that was printed in his news organization, regarding how the Arab states may play into a new Iran deal. Ansari is not only a key figure in Iranian state media. He is also a former diplomat at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. It's worth recalling that back in 2015, Ansari, who was then a spokesman for the foreign ministry in Tehran, spoke out against the "pressure from the Zionist lobby" on the US. This is his worldview.

What does Ansari think today about the chances for a deal? He seems slightly optimistic. One reason for this is that he assesses that the Arab states have chosen a different approach than in 2015. Looking back at the 2015 deal he said, "the result was that the Arab countries, or more precisely what I call the official Arab system, aligned themselves with Israel, directly or indirectly, acting like two blades of scissors in dealing with the JCPOA." He blames these countries, which he didn't name, for trying to use their influence, "lobbying and wealth" to prevent the deal.  (Read More)