Saudi Arabia Warns Iran: "Stop Meddling In Our Neighborhood!"
In “Mid-East Coup: As Russia Pounds Militant Targets, Iran Readies Ground Invasions While Saudis Panic,” we outlined what we think is likely a close approximation of Moscow and Tehran’s plan for the region. Here is a brief summary of what we said:
Putin looks to have viewed this as the ultimate geopolitical win-win. That is, Russia gets to i) expand its influence in the Middle East in defiance of Washington and its allies, a move that also helps to protect Russian energy interests and preserves the Mediterranean port at Tartus, and ii) support its allies in Tehran and Damascus thus preserving the counterbalance to the US-Saudi-Qatar alliance.
Meanwhile, Iran gets to enjoy the support of the Russian military juggernaut on the way to protecting the delicate regional nexus that is the source of Tehran’s Mid-East influence. It is absolutely critical for Iran to keep Assad in power, as the loss of Syria to the West would effectively cut the supply line between Iran and Hezbollah.
The same dynamic is playing out in Iraq. That is, Iran is fighting ISIS via various Shiite militias just as it’s fighting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen via the Shia Houthis. It is thus extremely significant that Baghdad has agreed to share intelligence with Syria and Russia, as that effectively means the Iran-backed Shiite militias battling for control of Iraq will enjoy the support of the Russian military.
This is nothing short of a Middle Eastern coup, as Iran looks to displace Saudi Arabia as the regional power broker and as Russia looks to supplant the US as the superpower puppet master.
Do not expect Saudi Arabia and Israel to remain on the sidelines here.
Make no mistake, the stakes couldn't be higher for Riyadh. Assad's ouster would have removed a key Iranian ally and cut off Tehran from Hezbollah.
Not only would that outcome pave the way for deals like the Qatar-Turkey natural gas line, it would also cement Sunni control over the region on the way to dissuading Tehran at a time when the lifting of crippling economic sanctions is set to allow the Iranians to shed the pariah state label and return to the international stage not only in terms of energy exports, but in terms of diplomacy as well.
Just about the last thing Riyadh wants to see ahead of Iran's resurgence, is a powergrab on the doorstep of the Arabian peninsula.
The situation is made worse by what's going on in Yemen. The Houthis are backed by the Quds Force which means that the battle between the Saudi-led coalition that also includes Qatar and the UAE, is simply another manifestation of Riyadh attempting to rid the area of Tehran's influence. Here's a clip which purports to show the Saudi-led coalition bombing the Houthis:
One must also factor Iraq into the equation. For all intents and purposes (and the US knows this), it's lost to Tehran. IRGC commanders have deep political ties in Baghdad and control the various Shiite militias battling alongside the Iraqi regulars. Because the main adversary is ISIS, neither the West nor its Sunni allies can protest unless they are willing to admit that they have at one time or another assisted the fighters that went on the become Islamic State.
In short, Riyadh is in a tough spot. Going from Yemen to Syria would have been an escalation as things stood three months ago. But now, the Saudis may have missed their window. Entering the war in force as they've done in Yemen would mean direct confrontation with the Russians and Iranians and that would represent a monumental roll of the dice.
That said, the Saudis can ill-afford to sit on the sidelines and watch as Iran becomes the new regional power broker which is why, as Bloomberg noted earlier today, Riyadh will likey step up its support for the various proxy armies fighting for control of Syria. Here's more:
The principal risk for Russia is that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, who support armed groups fighting Assad’s forces including radical Islamists, will sharply increase their military supplies in response to the Russian intervention, said the Russian officials.
“The Russians have not seen the heat of Syria yet,” said Mustafa Alani, the Dubai-based director of National Security and Terrorism Studies at the Gulf Research Center. “The regional powers can give the Russians limited time to see if their intervention can lead to a political settlement -- if not, there is going to be a proxy war.”
Of course it's already a proxy war and has been for years, but with the Quds Force and Hezbollah advancing on Aleppo, time is running out for Riyadh and Doha to make a move and on Monday, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir stepped up the rhetoric, effectively telling the Iranians to stay out of the neighborhood. Here's more via AFP:
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Monday urged Iran to stop "meddling" in the affairs of the kingdom's neighbours, warning that Riyadh stood ready to confront Tehran's actions.
"We wish that Iran would change its policies and stop meddling in the affairs of other countries in the region, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen," Adel al-Jubeir said at joint press briefing with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Riyadh.
"It is difficult to have positive relations" with Tehran, "when Saudi Arabia and its people are the target of continuous aggression" from the kingdom's arch rival, said Jubeir.
Saudi Arabia supports rebel groups who are fighting to oust Assad in the Syrian conflict.
"We will make sure that we confront Iran's actions and shall use all our political, economic and military powers to defend our territory and people," said Jubeir.
He accused Iran of acting like a "colonising state" in Syria, and demanded it pull its fighters out of the country and stop supplying arms to Assad.
Otherwise, "it will be difficult (for Iran) to play a role" in finding a solution for the conflict in Syria, he said.
Now, there are a number of amusing things about those statements. First, it's not as though Iran wasn't invited to Syria. Bashar al-Assad most certianly welcomes the presence of the IRGC and as mentioned above, the Shiite militias in Iraq are battling alongside the Iraqi army, while Baghdad has just inked an intelligence sharing agreement with Tehran. Throw in the Quds deep political connections and it would be difficult to somehow say that the Iranians aren't welcome in Iraq. So this idea of Iran being a "colonizing state" is a bit tenuous. Also, while Iran may have been invited to Syria, one would be hard pressed to say the same thing about the various extremists groups backed by Riyadh and Doha.
Furthermore, it's rather strange for the Saudis to make statements like "it will be difficult for Iran to play a role in finding a solution to the conflict." We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but Iran is already playing a role in finding a "solution" - they're summarily wiping out the groups funded by the Saudis on the way to restoring the regime. If anyone is going to have a "difficult" time playing a part, it's the Saudis.
On the "bright" side, the US military industrial complex looks likely to a boost from it all. Here's Bloomberg:
The Pentagon is notifying Congress of a planned sale to Saudi Arabia of as many as four Littoral Combat Ships for $11.25 billion, according to a U.S. official, as the U.S. works to bolster defenses of its Gulf allies after the nuclear deal with Iran.
The ships are part of a planned modernization, replacing older U.S.-built vessels in the Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet. The sale also begins to deliver on President Barack Obama’s pledge to improve the military capabilities of the U.S.’s Arab allies. Saudi Arabia and other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council sought such reassurances before acquiescing to the U.S.-led deal with Iran on its nuclear program.
The Saudis and other Sunni Arab nations were unnerved that, in exchange for curbing its nuclear program, their Shiite rival Iran will win relief from crippling economic sanctions and access to billions of dollars in frozen funds. Russia’s military intervention in Syria alongside Iran to back President Bashar al-Assad has further raised sectarian tensions in the region.
The ships sold to the Saudis will be the first major export of a new, U.S.-built surface naval vessel in years, the U.S. official said.
The Littoral Combat Ship, designed for operations in shallow coastal waters, is made in two versions by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Austal Ltd. The Saudis have indicated they’re interested in the Lockheed ship, according to previous reports, including by Defense News.
The takeaway here is that it's gut check time for the Saudis. With Iran set for a return to the world stage and with a resurgent Russia backing Tehran's regional power grabs, Riyadh (and Ankara, and Doha) must decide whether to i) step up support for Sunni extremists proxy armies and risk being publicly derided by Putin for supporting terrorism, ii) intervene directly as in Yemen and risk starting a world war, iii) do nothing and watch Iran become regional power broker.
Get the popcorn...
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There must be a cloning facility somewhere, where they churn out the kind of sick personalities required to utter such hypocritical insanities without breaking into a fit of self-depricating laughter.
Flash! Rumble and shake! A literal force field of wind.... an endless amazingly stron
Et voila! A glow in the dark irradiated glassine parking lot!
Iran to Saudi Arabia: "Up yours!" ;-)
Looney
Iran would bomb them back to the Stone Age..except thhey're already there...and I know, I've worked in the kingdom.
The US had working relationships with Saddam Husein and Qaddafi. Too bad they fucked it all up.
Hypocrisy... meter.. broken!!!
Tell me more...
http://www.cifiaonline.com/factsaboutsaudiroyals.htm
RIPS
One good thing about that nukuloor deal with Iran, the Saudi's will now have to buy all kinds of great munitions from the US.
And the Saudi's are also fighting a two front war. Cool.
I expect there to be three nuclear powers in the middle east in 20 years.
Or none.
I hope they can keep all this nice and conventional vs nice and nuclear, man.
A fucking KINGDOM lecturing anyone on anything?
The U.S. under leadership of Bushes and Clintons have destroyed any possible trust in the United States. That tradition continues with the current occupants of government officials involved in world affairs. When are our puppet allies going to wake up?
That pic of Putin munching popcorn cracks me up every time I see it! :>D
Hell's about to break out there and the media is not giving much attention to it, including traders (ala CNBC).
Adel just needs to change his name to Riyadh Bob and trade the white dress for some olive drab... then the press will start paying attention.
Crying wolf with the "Saudi Arabia and its people are the target of continuous aggression" garbage just isn't serious, when it appears Tehran is thus far avoided stirring that pot. Moreover, if Iran were to be "demoted" back to pariah-State-status, the risk reward calculus for interfering with Saudi oil production and export capabilities would turn ugly (for everyone except Putin and Big Oil).
"We will roast their bellies!"
Presstitutes are simple traitors. Literally. The blood of millions is on their hands.
Where are the days when a Country invading another Country was seen globally as a bad thing
The Saudis should just seize the Iranian Mullahs cash that is stored safely in their GCC bank accounts...
Millionaire Mullahs - General Politics and Current Issues - ShiaChat.com
Carlin was right folks... everywhere you go it's all a giant scam.
Yeah, hit the mullahs where it really hurts: their wallets!
You do that then how in the hell are the Mullahs gonna be able to afford to send their kids to Cambridge? Have you thought of that?
Oxford, a more classical edujamacation.
That's literally 'Littoral' - or is it littorally literal...?
Hmmm...
Let's check the Literature.
You need to wait for the Hajj... go big or go home...
Relax, let's talk this through crazy fanatic against crazy fanatic.
The sane people stay at the door and you can only bring 20 weapons of choice with you in the room....
and a naked goat will dance to call the mood...
And Obama can be the moderator...
You're on(to) something there! :>D
Based on the size of its territory and population, Iran is involved in more foreign wars than the US.
Just sayin....
It's not even Happy Hour yet where you're at... You honestly need to have someone monitor your dosage intake.
Standard Disclaimer: And I need a drink far worse than you...
Just saying, prove your point. Because you can not prove it can you.
You said you'll leave and still you're here. Just Sayin'
LOL... because when the US bombs the shit out of some country it's not considered WAR.
Um let's see, what shall we call it?
Kinetic Action
Regime Change
Humanitarian Aid
Uh, excuse me, but you guys live in the same neighborhood. And besides, the dickhead Saudi Royals make the Mullahs of Iran look, well, not so bad, something to aspire to.
The Saudis are a tough act to beat but the Mullahs that are robbing Iran blind are giving it a good shot...
"Most of the good properties and contracts, say dissident members of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, ended up in the hands of mullahs, their associates and, not least, Rafsanjani's family, who rose from modest origins as pistachio farmers."
Right you are, but if tomorrow you had to choose your land of exile would it be Iran or SA? For me it would be Iran in a heartbeat.
The climate and physical terrain of Iran is beautiful and the people around the world are usually great wherever you go.
Their leaders on the other hand are without exception power and wealth hungry sociopaths at best and more often then not complete psychopaths. The Saudi and Iranian leadership need each other to create each others bogus existential threat or else their people would quickly turn on them instead.
But yes... Iran is preferable to Saudi even though they would both prefer to see me headless...
Their leaders on the other hand are without exception power and wealth hungry sociopaths
How does that differ from other world leaders?
1. Desert Shield
2. Desert Storm
3. Desert Farewell
4. Just Deserts
It serves our interests well to have the Sunni and Shia at each others throats. If they weren't I'm sure a couple Mosque bombings would
fix that. Their lack of cohesiveness plays right into TPTB's hands. Think how different things would have been if the Sioux, Pawnee, Crow
and Cheyenne had formed a united front from the gitgo. Rather, their petty squabbles were used to bring them down. Something for the
Red & Blue parties to mull over as well.
this is not really a conflict between sunnis and shias! Assad's wife is a sunni muslim for example and that is why many moderate sunnis support him too. Actually most of the Assad army consists of loyal sunni muslims! A sectarian conflict - that is just something that Saudi Arabia wants us to believe to hide their power grab. Another example is the sunni Egypt, who officially approved Russia's intervention in Syria and where you would often find Putin's pictures and T-shirts on the streets. Many Egyptians are grateful that Russia backed them, when they threw out the USA-backed Muslim Brotherhood. Pakistanis are also more and more inclined towards Russia (Russia will even build a gas pipeline there).
Quote: "Russia has had strong ties with the Mideast for years. The fascination with Putin is driven largely by a longstanding suspicion of the West and anger about decades of U.S. intervention in the region that many say has only led to more wars and sectarianism. Many hope a stronger Russia would lead to a more balanced approach."
Admittedly, I'm not an expert on these issues; but I suppose I was taking the aerial 100 mile view of Iran vs. Saudi Arabia, or
Shia vs. Sunni. Looking at the interplay of Hezbollah and the Houthi vs. their respective adversaries, it seems the fissures
lie on this divide, but I'll concede that the issue is very complex.
The native tribes would still have lost.
Logistics and sheer numbers.
Native tribes had no access to gun and ammunition factories and their hunter/gatherer culture limited their ability to produce sufficient quantities of warriors to fight off the pale faces that did have those abilities. It was agriculture that allowed the pale faces to feed an ever expanding population.
In fact the total annihilation of the native tribes would have happened sooner except for the fact that the pale faces spent nearly five years decimating each other over something that would have ended as soon as the internal combustion engine could be placed in a tractor.
Just as robotics is now replacing the common worker the gas powered tractor would have replaced the slave. Just like it replaced the white share croppers in Oklahoma during the Great Depression as can be seen in the movie The Grapes of Wrath.
You are right about the inevitable outcome; but if the natives had taken a militant stance and annialated all the newcomers
repeatedly, I feel confident they could have bought themselves much more time. Booze and microbes played a large role in undermining
their position also.
It probably didn't help that the North American native tribes were decimated by the plagues the Spanish brought with them to Central America a scant decade before the English and French showed up in the North American landscape.
It has been estimated by serious historians (as opposed to those employed to write the touchy-feely text books) that the population of North America exceded that of Europe at the time of fist contact between the Spanish and the Central American nations. The "wilderness" that seemed so hospitable to the Europeans as they moved west was hospitable because a couple of decades previously it was heavily inhabited, productively farmed and well maintained by the now deceased Indian tribes.
Had the plagues not wiped out ~85% of the North American population the English and French would never have managed to take the continent.
5. Please serve dessert
nothing exciting will happen.
Exciting shit is already happening. Historians are going to look back at this era and go cross-eyed at how fucked up it was (is.) The only thing is that it's not happening in our back yard.
Not yet...
Our "leaders" are very lucky they won't be around to read the judgments of history. Chapter One: Psychopaths take over the planet. World War 3 begins.
Saudi Arabia has been supporting assorted terrorists for decades and meddling in everyone's affairs.
In fact, Bandar threatened Putin with terrorist attacks
Time for the cruel, criminal, corrupt Saudi regime to collapse
Friday, January 3, 2014 12:31 PM
‘Prince Bandar threatens Putin with Chechen terror attacks’http://en.alalam.ir/news/1551009