BEIRUT — The Middle East is going through many developments, most notably the fluctuations of Saudi-Iranian ties, which affect the future of the countries in the region including that of Lebanon. Over the past few months, positive developments have emerged including the visit to Jeddah in August by Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian.
Progress in Saudi-Iranian relations was further emphasized by a meeting between Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Saud Al-Faisal and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, which culminated in discussions on the importance of cooperation to combat terrorism and resolve the region's qualms.
Is the Saudi-Iranian relationship still heading toward collaboration in the face of the dialogue, to address the existing problems throughout the Middle East, or is the relationship moving toward confrontation, particularly in light of the accusatory discourse among the two countries? For instance, Saud attacked the Iranian position during talks held in Jeddah with his German counterpart. He said Tehran was “part of the problem in the region, not of the solution,” and he accused it of “occupying Syria, Iraq and Yemen," calling for the withdrawal of “the Iranian occupation forces” in these countries. Iran’s response was expressed by its foreign minister, who demanded that Saudi Arabia “withdraw its forces from Bahrain.”
Lebanese diplomatic sources that were following up on this concluded that a quantum leap has not been achieved in the Saudi-Iranian relationship. They recalled the 2009-10 experience that had suggested there are indications for an agreement and a resolution between Saudi Arabia and Syria, followed by Iran, and that the two countries were heading toward dialogue and negotiations. At the time, this was reflected in the Saudi monarch’s position, which was expressed during the 2009 Arab Economic Summit in Kuwait, where he called for reconciliation, convergence and the unification of Arab nations against growing challenges and risks.
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