For Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the deal is about more than normalizing relations with the Saudi government in Riyadh. Instead, it is about, together with China and Russia, creating a new anti-Western world order and locking the US out of a new regional arrangement, Foreign Policy magazine said in its analysis.
Saudi Arabia moved closer to joining an Asian security and economic bloc led by China this week, given the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as it expands its global reach.
China’s growing role in the Middle East of late has worried Washington. The historic deal brokered by Beijing between Iran and Saudi Arabia could significantly help ease tensions in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia also significantly strengthened its energy ties with China on Monday by announcing a $3.6 billion deal to buy a 10 percent stake in China’s Rongsheng Petrochemical, giving the company 480,000 bpd. Barrell will supply the crude oil. America’s rivalry with China and Russia is intensifying in an increasingly polarized world, with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries choosing to diversify their global partnerships, analysts say. But while states like Saudi Arabia are moving closer to China, he says Beijing is far from becoming an American rival in the region.
Ali Shahabi, a Saudi analyst and author, said that the traditional monogamous relationship with the US is now over. “And we’ve moved into a more open relationship; stronger with the US but equally stronger with China, India, Britain, France and others.
He told JEE News that because of polarization, different parties “bring different types of influence to the table.” “The smart thing for a country to do is to build a portfolio of strategic relationships that all contribute to its security and prosperity in different ways.”
Jonathan Fulton, senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, says China’s non-aligned policy is tough and unlikely to get caught up in Middle East conflicts. A third country or a bloc of third countries… and China doesn’t want to do that,” he told JEE News. “They don’t want to get caught up in the problems of other countries, especially in the Middle East.” After the surprise announcement of the Saudi-Iran deal this month, the Biden administration appeared to downplay China’s role. White House spokesman John Kirby said internal and external pressure, including effective Saudi deterrence against attacks by Iran or its proxies, ultimately brought Iran to the table. But he welcomed it “regardless of what the motivation was, or who was sitting at the table.”
China’s mediation does not necessarily mean a change in its Middle East policy, Fulton said. He said it was a “regional approach to a regional problem”, which regional actors saw the US as failing to address. In the Eurasia group. “This creates a whole new set of challenges as US allies begin to develop their own Iran policies that may not align with Washington’s own vision.”
“Washington is struggling to adapt to the new Saudi Arabia,” said Eham Kamil, head of the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group. “This creates a whole new set of challenges as US allies begin to develop their own Iran policies that may not align with Washington’s own vision.”
Anna Jacobs, a senior Gulf analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the kingdom is seeking a different approach to Iran, “to mitigate security risks that could inevitably threaten Saudi Vision 2030.” ” Instead of trying to isolate Iran, Saudi Arabia is now “trying to confront, contain and engage Iran,” he said.
“Many experts still believe that whoever is in the White House will guide Saudi policy toward Iran, but that is not true today,” Ms. Jacobs said. Protecting itself from security interests and regional threats, including the possibility of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
Analysts say a deal to restore ties could still be in jeopardy or be slowed by several thorny issues. “This agreement is a big step, but the hardest work is yet to come,” Ms Jacobs said.
For Saudi Arabia, the move is the latest step toward rebalancing its major-power relationship, which has traditionally dominated its relationship with the United States. the West,” Ali al-Shahabi, a Saudi political expert who previously led the Arab Foundation think tank and now serves on the advisory board of the future NEOM City project, told JEE News.
“China and the multilateral organizations it has established are an important part of this, not only in strengthening ties with China but also by allowing the Saudis to take advantage of China’s ties with others such as Iran.”
Meanwhile, America has kept itself on the sidelines.
“The Saudi diversification strategy seeks to fill the void created by the loss of US interest or desire to maintain the status quo in the region,” Shihabi said.
