A year ago, Saudi Arabia and Israel were said to be on the brink of an agreement to normalize relations.
The deal appears to have died down as Iran's foreign minister visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss efforts to stop Israeli incursions into Gaza and Lebanon.
“Following the crimes in Gaza, our dialogue on regional development continues in order to stop the shameless crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Alaghushi said in a video aired on state media. ” said.
He added: “Starting today, I will begin traveling to the region, to Riyadh and other capitals, to mobilize the countries of the region to stop the brutal attack in Lebanon.”
Saudi Arabia shares a long-standing strategic partnership with the United States and is the United States' largest arms buyer. However, in recent years, it has become politically closer to Iran.
Prospects for an agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Saudi Arabia have dimmed. (Getty Images)
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Last week, Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, reaffirmed their neutrality in the Israeli-Iranian conflict. Iran warned that direct intervention by “Israel supporters” would target their interests in the region. That could mean missile attacks on their oil facilities.
Iran landed around 200 missiles on Israel last week, many of which were intercepted by the US-backed Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“While Gulf states believe Iran is unlikely to attack their oil facilities, Iranians have indicated from unofficial sources that an attack is possible. That's the means the Iranians have,” said Saudi commentator Ali Shihabi. said the royal family.
In 2019, drones attacked a major oil refinery in Saudi Arabia About 5% of the world's oil supply was temporarily cut off at Abqaiq. According to US intelligence, these drones originated from Iran.
Before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the Biden administration had considered an agreement similar to the Abraham Accords a major priority. The agreement aimed to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, including cooperation on security and civil nuclear issues. The White House has maintained for months that a deal is nearly complete.
The potential agreement has been largely blamed for triggering the Hamas attack.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dropped about 200 missiles towards Tel Aviv last week, many of which were intercepted by the US-backed Israel Defense Forces (IDF). (Iranian Leader Press Room/Materials/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts a rocket as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
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“I don't think we've ever been this close,” Robert Greenway, a former senior director at the National Security Council, told Fox News Digital.
“The closest we came was probably in the waning years of the Trump administration, but we knew that if there was a problem it would be a problem in the second term, and obviously that didn't work out. “I don't know if Biden is'' – never before has the Harris administration taken this issue so seriously. ”
Just before the Hamas attack, a group of 20 Democratic senators expressed concern about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the possibility that its peaceful nuclear energy program could someday be transformed into a military program to build nuclear weapons, and made clear his opposition to.
And October 7th changed the calculation for Saudi Arabia. They are now demanding a plan for a Palestinian state.
“If anyone believes that they had a chance of winning the House of Representatives or the Senate in an election year with virtually no majorities and winning something as controversial as a security treaty with Saudi Arabia, it is because they believe that our Permission to get rich with blessings and support, but I don't think so.'' I don't know if there is anyone who trusts and believes that that was possible. ”
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Victoria Coates, the former vice presidential national security adviser, was optimistic that Saudi Arabia could return to power.
“From what we're hearing from both sides, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when,” she said. “There are many reasons why you might want to wait to see what the composition of Congress will look like, but you will need a majority in the Senate to win Congress.” [a civil nuclear agreement] Through. “
