Rhetoric or retreat: Saudi FM says hands outstretched to Iran
…from Press TV, Tehran
[ Editor’s Note: This is a totally baloney Saudi Foreign Minister report, crying crocodile tears about the poor Mideast situation. We are asked to believe that its autocratic regime that crushes all dissent is open to a fair resolution to anything.
Such a concept does not inhabit Saudi Royal DNA. What would be the point of being Royal? Think of its war crimes against Yemen and how easily the Royals take that in stride.
The first main goal with the Saudi FM is to get SA into a veto position over any ‘resolution’, or work with the US in an endless, going nowhere, fake diplomatic attempt where its failure is always blamed on others, the standard ploy in Mideast failed negotiations.
The second is to try to fool Biden that he is a member of the team, when Saudi Arabia is already a member of the Israeli team, and Israel only joins any team to be in a position of steering them were it wants.
They know Biden will want to look like he is the peacemaker-in-chief, and will play him on that, for his wanting to think that he might pull a peace deal off, while getting as much out of the US as possible in the process, only to leave the bride at the altar, again.
So Mideast talks will continue to be initiated with the caveat of everyone wanting their own marked deck of cards be the one used. We have all been here before… Jim W. Dean ]
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First published … January 23, 2021
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said Riyadh stands ready for rapprochement with Iran, but claimed that the Islamic Republic does not commit itself to de-escalating tensions.
Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in January 2016 following angry protests outside its embassy in Tehran over Riyadh’s execution of a prominent cleric. Ever since, the country has followed a hostile policy which intensified in line with former US president Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” on Tehran.
In an interview with Al Arabiya TV channel, however, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud alleged that Tehran is “not serious about talks with Riyadh”.
“Our hands are outstretched for peace with Iran, but it does not commit itself to agreements,” he said.
The remarks came two days after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed his Qatari counterpart’s call for the Persian Gulf Arab countries to hold talks with Iran, saying Tehran has long demanded neighborly cooperation towards establishing a strong Middle East.
Tehran has on many occasions announced its readiness to hold talks with its neighbors directly. It has already put forward an initiative called the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE) to promote security in the Persian Gulf and facilitate such neighborly negotiations.
Prince Faisal claimed that Iran’s “calls for dialogue are meant to divert attention away from its own crises”.
Riyadh acted as one of the main forces behind Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with Tehran, after which the US returned its draconian sanctions against Tehran.
Nuclear deal was ‘weak’
Commenting on the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the top Saudi diplomat claimed that new US President Joe Biden had pledged to include Persian Gulf allies and Israel in any future talks that focused on Iran’s nuclear program as well as its missiles and regional role.
The JCPOA was “weak” because there was a lack of coordination with the countries in the region, Prince Faisal said.
“We will consult with the US regarding the agreement so that it will be a strong basis,” he added. “The European countries understand that the previous agreement with Tehran has flaws.”
Iran has categorically dismissed negotiating the nuclear deal with the regional countries. Tehran has also rejected any renegotiation of the JCPOA, saying the US must lift the sanctions before returning to the nuclear deal.
Open to political solution in Yemen?
Elsewhere in his interview, the top Saudi diplomat indicated his country’s readiness to reach a political solution on Yemen, but threw the ball in Houthis’ court.
“The Houthis will facilitate reaching a solution if they decide that the interest of Yemen is the most important,” Prince Faisal said.
The conciliatory remarks come as Yemeni forces, including Houthi fighters, are going from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders.
Riyadh is additionally worried by the exit of the Trump administration which was a staunch supporter of the kingdom and its war on Yemen.
Biden pledged in his campaign to reassess ties with the kingdom, demanding more accountability over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh’s Istanbul consulate and calling for an end to US support for the Yemen war.
The Saudi foreign minister, nevertheless, voiced optimism that relations with the United States would be “excellent” under Biden.
“The Biden administration will see that we have common goals with regards to the situation in Yemen,” he said.
A spokesperson at the US State Department said Friday Washington has started a review of a decision by the Trump administration to designate Yemen’s popular Houthi Ansarullah movement as a foreign terrorist organization.
Prince Faisal, however, defended the blacklisting, saying it was “justified”.
Saudi Arabia launched a devastating military aggression against Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with a number of its allied states, and with arms and logistics support from the US and several Western countries.
The aim was to return to power a Riyadh-backed former regime and defeat the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement that has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective government in the Arab country.
The Saudi war has failed to achieve its goals, but killed tens of thousands of innocent Yemenis and destroyed the impoverished country’s infrastructure. The UN refers to the situation in Yemen as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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Arabs have proven records when it comes to back-stabbing friends! The Persians can never take Arabs seriously – they are simply not on the same level. The only way for peace is to follow Iran’s plan and get the US out of ME and for Israel to get the settlers out of Palestinian lands. Yemen will have more stability in future than SA – the “royals” pictured above (including MBS) are living on borrowed time.
How about Christians fighting Christians, Elvin? Remember the Thirty Years War? It was primarily fought in Central Europe from 1618 to 1648. Estimates of total military and civilian deaths range from 4.5 to 8 million, mostly from disease or starvation. In some areas of Germany, it has been suggested that up to 60% of the population died. So much for loving your enemy.
Saudi Foreign Minister is ready to trip to Moscow with a olive branch in hand and beg to Lavrov intercede before Tehran to “smooth” the relationship with Iran and later Lavrov said in a recent statement something as… Russia is interested in the dialogue between Iran and the Arab countries and is ready to help them in this direction
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