American media: Riyadh seeks mediation in Tehran-Washington relations

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: This American media has claimed that Saudi Arabia, which does not see the consequences of the tension in Tehran-Washington relations in line with its regional interests and in favor of the current state of Riyadh-Tehran relations, is trying to use its strong relations with US President Donald Trump to mediate in order to reach an agreement between Iran and the United States.

 

CNN, making a claim about Iran's position in the wake of recent developments in the region, reported that Saudi Arabia is concerned that Iran may now be more inclined to acquire a nuclear weapon. Riyadh hopes to create a diplomatic bridge to the White House for Iran through its close relations with US President Donald Trump.

 

It is unclear whether Saudi Arabia has made a formal offer in this regard, but the move indicates Riyadh's desire to improve relations with its former rival (Iran) and gain a seat at the negotiating table for a possible new agreement.

 

While Trump is willing to negotiate with Iran to reach a peaceful agreement that he says will allow Iran to prosper, he signed a memorandum on the implementation of his first administration's policy towards Iran, known as the "maximum pressure campaign," and then his administration imposed oil sanctions on Iran, which was condemned by Iran. In addition, Iran's Supreme Leader said that negotiating with the United States is "not smart."

 

The American media continued the report: The US State Department and Saudi Arabia did not respond to CNN's request for comment on this matter. The Iranian mission to the United Nations also said it had no comment on the matter.

 

Saudi Arabia publicly welcomed Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, but privately was furious at the Obama administration’s failure to address its concerns about Tehran’s regional activities, particularly its missile program and its so-called “proxies” in the region, which Riyadh sees as a threat to regional stability. Saudi Arabia later welcomed Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018.

 

A year after the Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear deal, Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities were targeted by a major drone and missile attack that temporarily halved crude production in the world’s largest oil exporter, according to ISNA. Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, which some regional and Western countries claim is backed by Iran, a claim Iranian officials have repeatedly denied, claimed responsibility for the attack, but the United States blamed Iran for ultimately refraining from taking military action to defend its Saudi ally.

 

But tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have eased significantly since then. In March 2023, the two countries announced a surprise deal brokered by China to normalize their relations. Saudi officials see the deal as a major achievement, with Riyadh reaping the benefits, including halting Yemeni Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and protecting the kingdom from retaliation by Iran and Israel in 2024 amid concerns that oil facilities in the Persian Gulf could be targeted if its facilities were targeted.

 

Saudi officials see the current regional landscape as a historic opportunity to ease tensions with Iran and improve relations, insisting they have no desire to be involved in any US or Israeli confrontation with Iran.

 

They also worry that Tehran may be more inclined to develop a nuclear bomb, and see a nuclear deal as a way to prevent that. They believe that a “severely weakened Iran” is not in Saudi Arabia’s interest, as Riyadh has recalibrated its foreign policy to prioritize its economic interests and sees further regional instability as an obstacle to its progress.

 

While Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy is based on a strategic partnership with the United States, Riyadh’s foreign policy “has sought to diversify its options, both regionally and internationally, allowing it to be flexible and pragmatic when necessary,” Firas Mekdad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said.

 

Expressing a willingness to mediate between President Trump and Iran would allow the kingdom to implicitly distance itself from Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, he told CNN.

 

However, he says, given the “remaining distrust” between Saudi Arabia and Iran, it is unlikely that this will go beyond a diplomatic signal.

 

Riyadh’s relationship with Trump, and the extent of the influence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over him, is likely to be tested by the US president’s controversial plan to take control of Gaza and expel its Palestinian population to turn it into a coastal tourist resort. The proposal could derail the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel that Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been desperately seeking.

 

Last week, however, Trump spoke optimistically about Saudi-Israeli relations, claiming that Riyadh does not want an independent Palestinian state in return.

 

Saudi Arabia quickly responded, dismissing any plans to expel Palestinians from their lands. Riyadh has insisted that there will be no normalization of relations without the creation of a Palestinian state.

 

Saudi Arabia’s ties with Trump, however, remain strong. While other US allies are cautious not to provoke the US president, Saudi Arabia’s international standing and influence are likely to continue to grow under the Trump administration.

 

Trump has even said that Saudi Arabia could be his first foreign trip as US president, where bin Salman could unceremoniously mediate talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Europe’s biggest war since World War II.