What Was Not Said About the Saudi-Iranian Agreement? And China’s Hand…

by Jameel Altheyabi at Saudi Gazette

So much has been said about the “unsurprising” announcement, as far as many observers and followers of the Saudi-Iranian negotiations are concerned. What Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached in Beijing for the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries was within clear-cut terms and conditions formulated by Riyadh.

But what has not been said is more significant. Even the word “surprising,” used by some, cannot be termed to describe the agreement.

Riyadh and Tehran have been negotiating for more than two years, first in Baghdad, at the invitation of former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, and then in Muscat at the invitation of the Sultanate of Oman.

It seems clear that the recent visit to Beijing by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi may have been to ask China to intervene to save the negotiations, out of his desire to proceed with the signing of the agreement.

Accordingly, the imaginative “allegations” regarding Saudi Arabia opening the door to China to consolidate its influence in the Middle East, and the subsequent allegations that Saudi Arabia has lost confidence in its ally, the United States… are all talks without substantial evidence.

Saudi Arabia is not interested in what Western analysts say, each of whom would like to pronounce their judgment over the Beijing agreement well before it comes into force. They are free to make any remarks, some of which may be good or superficial, but most of them would be just imagination.

Among the wise sayings, ‘The Wall Street Journal’ described the agreement as foreshadowing a “new Middle East.” Among the unfortunate statements was that of the Atlantic Council expert Thomas Warrick, who summed up the whole matter by saying: “This agreement is neither the end of an era nor the start of one.”

All those experts and analysts have missed the fact that when Saudi Arabia agreed to hold negotiations with Iran more than two years ago, it considered the security of the Middle East and the stability of the region at the top of its priorities. The Kingdom is well aware that the security and stability of the region are an integral part of the security and stability of the world.

Also, what these analysts ignored was that Saudi Arabia believes in dialogue,…