How a Saudi-Iranian Reconciliation Aids Israel

Rafael Castro
April 23, 2023
Paper No. 2192

The recent reconciliation agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia dismayed many Israeli policymakers, analysts, and journalists. The agreement suggests that Saudi Arabia is steering away from its course of rapprochement with Israel and cuddling up to the ayatollahs, thereby eroding Israel’s geostrategic position in the Middle East. But the widespread assessment of this development as entirely bad for Israel is short-sighted.

Saudi Social and Economic Changes Require a Delicate Balancing Act

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s vision for the kingdom’s future will have to toe a fine line between redefining the Saudi social contract and the danger of creating new grievances.

Afghanistan May Be a Bellwether for Saudi-Iranian Rivalry

Boasting an almost 1,000-kilometer border with Iran and a history of troubled relations between the Iranians and Sunni Muslim militants, including the Taliban, Afghanistan could become a bellwether for the future of the rivalry between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Journalist Who Advocated Peace with Israel Is Released

Abdul Hameed Ghabin took a stand in favor of peace with Israel before it was safe to do so in Saudi Arabia, and he paid a price for his boldness. Sources suggest that he might have been freed under pressure from US President Joe Biden.

Saudi Arabia Steps Up Effort to Replace UAE and Qatar as Go-To Regional Hub

Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to outflank the UAE and Qatar as the Gulf’s commercial, cultural, and/or geostrategic hub.

Playing Politics: Saudi Arabia Targets Middle America

Amid Washington chatter about the future of US-Saudi relations, the kingdom has launched an unprecedented public diplomacy campaign to marshal business and grassroots support beyond the Beltway to counter anti-Saudi sentiment in the Biden administration and Congress.

Reform in Saudi Arabia: The Road Not Taken

Saudi Sheikh Salman Awdah, a popular but controversial religious scholar who has been mostly in solitary confinement since 2017, appeared in court recently only to hear that his case had been adjourned yet again for four months. Charged with more than 30 counts of terrorism, a term that is broadly defined in Saudi Arabia to include adherence to atheism and peaceful dissent, prosecutors are demanding the death sentence.

Implications of the Latest Iranian Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities

Israel must take the recent Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia seriously, as those who attack sensitive Saudi sites with missiles and drones can do the same to Israeli strategic facilities. It is no less important that Israel understand that Riyadh is incapable of defending itself effectively. Any diplomatic progress with Saudi Arabia must be based on that fact.

Biden Is Targeting Longstanding Alliances with Israel and Saudi Arabia to Curry Favor with Iran

The Biden administration’s targeting of the US’s longstanding alliances with Israel and Saudi Arabia in order to placate Iran is not only immoral but disastrously counterproductive.

The Russian FM’s Gulf Tour: A Bellwether of US-Saudi Relations

As Russian FM Sergei Lavrov embarks on a four-day visit to the Gulf, Middle Eastern leaders are either struggling to get a grip on Joe Biden’s recalibration of US policy in the region or signaling their refusal to adapt to the president’s approach.