The unexpected handshake last friday at Beijing between Saudi Arabia and Iran It could be the lever that opens the door to a new era in The Middle East After decades of wars.
If the agreement allows the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries Islamic forces A disputed region can turn from a land of conflict into a land of diplomacy.
not in vein, Saudis and Persians They have been the main component of conflict in the Middle East since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.
Courtesy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict The competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran is over field of the Middle East – and its lucrative oil and gas resources – and the dominance of its vision of Islam, dragging the region into endless wars.
Chinese diplomatic chief Wang Yi and representatives of Iran and Saudi Arabia
Both countries Islamic religious dictatorships Rich in hydrocarbons, both seek to impose themselves in their congregated spheres of influence.
To do this, they did not hesitate to take advantage of the religious division of the Islamic world: Iran, the main Shiite authority, uses the Shiite population of Iraq. Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to impose
Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni authority – along with Egypt – benefits from its status as guardian of the The holy cities of Medina and Mecca To win the support of the Islamic world.
The competition between the two countries has pushed the Middle East region into its own Cold War, with heated conflicts In Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, they competed directly or indirectly through NGOs for hegemony.
Iran is the main spiritual father of such terrorist organizations Hezbollah, Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
Saudi Arabia sought to undermine Sunni governments in the region by encouraging and financing Salafist groups that eventually fueled the formation of the jihadist terror monster with its face. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The last scene of the confrontation is Yemen, where the Houthis (Shiite rebelsAnd the Sunnis have been waging a bloody civil war since 2014, sponsored by Iran and Saudi Arabia.
It looked like the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran would end in outright conflict – against a particularly combustible backdrop with the Yemen war and the growing onslaught of the Islamic State – in 2016, when Riyadh theocratic regime Well-known Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Manar and 46 others accused of terrorism were executed.
Another particularly dangerous moment came in 2019, when he Yemeni Houthis Successfully carried out a drone strike against Saudi oil facilities.
Saudi Arabia and the United States did not hesitate to accuse Iran of being behind the attack, which is an accusation Tehran rejection.
like in cold War That the Democratic Bloc engaged with the communists after World War IIThe Cold War that since 1979 has pitted Iran against Saudi Arabia in the Middle East also has its own web of blocs and alliances.
in it Iranian blocWith a greater or lesser degree of implication, a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq can be put in place. Lebanon is also constantly at risk of its own religious and political equilibriums. Syria Bashar al-Assad and Yemen Houthis.
affiliate Saudi side It would be practically the entire Sunni Muslim world, with a particular focus on the “petroleum monarchies” of Arabia.
As for Alliance gameIran has the support of China, Russia, India and the Spanish-American socialist regimes.
Saudi Arabia has a strategic relationship, with a “tug of war” United State and their allies.
Another element that must be included in the equation is the situation in Israel. Iran and satellite systemsHe is the sworn enemy of the State of Israel.
Ayatollah system I swear to destroy Israeland emerged as a major existential threat to the Jewish state.
Saudi Arabia, encouraged by its American partners, is on its way approaching Israelwhich could end in an official recognition similar to the one already in place between Israel and Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, or Morocco.
In addition to a potential détente between the Saudis and Persians, the agreement also underscores China’s growing role as mediator — and peacemaker — in frozen disputes.
he Signing an agreement in Beijing It was preceded by a series of talks which were held, not in secret, but discreetly, in Baghdad.
China’s successful mediation will reveal this United State It is losing its role as global arbiter to Beijing. In this sense, “China-Pakistani” in the Middle East will reveal a major diplomatic defeat for the United States.
For the time being, to Washington It has no choice but to testify and be dismissed, said a spokesman for the White House National Security Council: “We’ll have to see if Iran lives up to its commitments.” John Kirby.
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