Experts in the News

The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia may also be part of “a Saudi effort to extract maximum concessions from the U.S.,” fellow Annelle Sheline says. “Riyadh’s decision to normalize with Tehran, under the auspices of Beijing, may be primarily aimed at Washington.”

“This is an agreement that the U.S. could not have brokered,” says fellow Omar Rahman of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. “Among outside powers, only China has the clout and trust of both sides, and it has remained largely aloof from their political squabbles.”

“It’s not like Saudi Arabia isn’t fully conscious that even a Chinese guarantee has its limits,” said fellow Yasmine Farouk of China's involvement in the Saudi-Iran pact. “The Saudis have learned, over the past few years, very hard lessons, one of those being we have to continue in the diversification of our relationships.”

"Further regional instability is not in Saudi or Iranian interest at the moment," said fellow Kristian Coates Ulrichsen of the restored ties between Saudi-Iran. "And for the Chinese to have addressed this at a time when the U.S. stance toward Iran is becoming more hawkish sends a powerful signal in itself."

Saudi Arabia & Iran have regained diplomatic relations. Fellow Kristian Ulrichsen says this decrease in tension was led by Saudi’s recognition that “without unconditional U.S. backing they were unable to project power vis-a-vis Iran and the rest of the region.”