Saudi-Iran Relationship: The Beginning of a New Era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/qjssh.690236783Keywords:
Saudi Arabia, KSA, Iran, Reconciliation, Confrontation, Negotiation, Mediation, Balance of power, Middle East, A Way ForwardAbstract
The article pertains to the recent process of reconciliation and normalization of ties between two regional adversaries, Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), after a prolonged period of animosity and confrontation. The paper examines the several causes that contributed to this significant development, including the series of negotiations held in Baghdad, the involvement of Oman and China as mediators, and the evolving geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East. It further explain the ramifications of this agreement for both the area and the global community, including the potential for peace, stability, collaboration, and growth. Additionally, the study will advocate the impact of the said deal between the two former rivals on the politics of the Middle East.
References
Aljazeera. (2023, March 7). How has the Saudi-Iran divide affected the Middle East? Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/7/how-has-the-saudi-iran-divide-affected-the-middle-east
Amwaj. (2023, March 13). The story behind China's role in the Iran-Saudi deal • Stimson center. Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/2023/the-story-behind-chinas-role-in-the-iran-saudi-deal/#:~:text=Frustrated%20by%20the%20pause%2C%20Saudi,visited%20China%20and%20met%20Xihttps://amwaj.media/media-monitor/after-invitation-by-king-salman-iran-set-to-reciprocate-saudi-offer
Associated Press. (2023, March 16). Senior Iranian official visits UAE on heels of Saudi deal. VOA. https://www.voanews.com/a/senior-iranian-official-visits-uae-on-heels-of-saudi-deal-/7008237.html
Azimi, S. (2023, March 13). The story behind China's role in the Iran-Saudi deal • Stimson center. Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/2023/the-story-behind-chinas-role-in-the-iran-saudi-deal/#:~:text=Frustrated%20by%20the%20pause%2C%20Saudi,visited%20China%20and%20met%20Xi
Baba, N. A. (1992). NASSER’S PAN-ARAB RADICALISM AND THE SAUDI DRIVE FOR ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY : A RESPONSE FOR SECURITY. India Quarterly, 48(1/2), 1–22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45072440
Badeeb, S. M. (1993). Saudi-Iranian relations, 1932-1982. Saqi Books.
Baghdadi, N. (2018). Dynamics of Iranian-Saudi Relations in the Persian Gulf Regional Security Complex (1920-1979) [Doctoral dissertation]. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4868&context=etd
Balaghi, S. (2015, December 21). A brief history of 20th-Century Iran. Grey Art Gallery. https://greyartgallery.nyu.edu/2015/12/a-brief-history-of-20th-century-iran/
Batrawy, A. (2023, March 10). Rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran restore ties, with China's help. Here's why it matters. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162562242/saudi-arabia-iran-relations-china-analysis
Bissell, R. E. (1978). Soviet Use of Proxies in the Third World: The Case of Yemen. Soviet Studies, 30(1), 87–106. http://www.jstor.org/stable/150078
Boms, N., & Aboubakr, H. (2021). Pan Arabism 2.0? The struggle for a new paradigm in the Middle East. Religions, 13(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13010028
Cherian, C. (2005, August 26). A new monarch. Frontline. https://frontline.thehindu.com/world-affairs/article30205965.ece
Cook, S. A. (2022, February 17). A new Iran deal means old chaos in the Middle East with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/17/iran-deal-jcpoa-israel-saudi-emirates-houthis/
Crises. (2023, February 19). The impact of the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement on Middle East conflicts. Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/iran-saudi-arabia/impact-saudi-iranian
Entessar, N. (1991). THE DOWNFALL OF A CLIENT: THE UNITED STATES AND THE SHAH OF IRAN [Review of U.S. Foreign Policy and the Shah: Building a Client State in Iran; Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah, by M. J. Gasiorowski & M. Zonis]. Journal of Third World Studies, 8(2), 324–332. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45193419
Frantzman, S. J. (2023, March 11). New diplomatic era in Middle East in wake of Iran-Saudi rapprochement. The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-734017
Galbraith, J. (2020). U.S. drone strike in Iraq kills Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. American Journal of International Law, 114(2), 313–323. https://doi.org/10.1017/ajil.2020.15
Gambrell, J. (2023, March 11). Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume ties, with China’s help | AP News. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-iran-diplomatic-ties-2f80bb71a995910cb4b172e5dbee3526
Hadžikadunić, E. (2015, April 2). Insight 215: Iran–Saudi ties: Can history project their trajectory? Ifimes. https://www.ifimes.org/en/researches/insight-215-iran-saudi-ties-can-history-project-their-trajectory/4492
Hafezi, P., Abdallah, N., & Yaakoubi, A. E. (2023, March 10). Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to resume ties in talks brokered by China. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-saudi-arabia-agree-resume-ties-re-open-embassies-iranian-state-media-2023-03-10/
Haykel, B. (2011, June 15). The Houthis, Saudi Arabia and the war in Yemen. Hoover Institution. https://www.hoover.org/research/houthis-saudi-arabia-and-war-yemen
Hitman, G. (2018). Saudi Arabia's Wahhabism and nationalism: The evolution of Wataniyya into Qawmiyya. Digest of Middle East Studies, 27(1), 79-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/dome.12131
Homan, R. (1980). The Origins of the Iranian Revolution. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), 56(4), 673–677. https://doi.org/10.2307/2618173
Hubbard, B. (2016, January 3). Iranian protesters ransack Saudi Embassy after execution of Shiite cleric. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-executes-47-sheikh-nimr-shiite-cleric.html
IFP. (2015, April 20). Fault lines in Tehran-Riyadh relations. Iran Front Page. https://ifpnews.com/fault-lines-in-tehran-riyadh-relations/
Jones, C. (1995). Saudi Arabia After the Gulf War: the Internal-External Security Dilemma. International Relations, 12(6), 31–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/004711789501200602
Kennedy, M. (2016, January 4). Who Was The Shiite Sheikh Executed By Saudi Arabia? NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/04/461912757/who-was-the-shiite-sheikh-executed-by-saudi-arabia
Keynoush, B. (2016). Saudi Arabia and Revolutionary Iran. In: Saudi Arabia and Iran. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-58939-2_8
Keynoush, B. (2023, March 24). How Tehran views the Iranian-Saudi agreement. Middle East Institute. https://www.mei.edu/publications/how-tehran-views-iranian-saudi-agreement
Khalidi, R. (1991). Consequences of the Suez crisis in the Arab world. In Oxford University Press eBooks (pp. 377–392). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202417.003.0022
Maloney, S., & Razipour, K. (2019, January 24). The Iranian revolution—A timeline of events. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-iranian-revolution-a-timeline-of-events/
Motamedi, M. (2022, October 5). Hajj pilgrim arrested by Saudi Arabia returns to Iran. News | Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/5/hajj-pilgrim-arrested-by-saudi-arabia-returns-to-iran
Motamedi, M. (2023, February 20). Where does the Iran nuclear deal stand right now? Nuclear Energy News | Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/20/what-exactly-happened-to-the-iran-nuclear-deal
Orkaby, A. (2014). The International History of the Yemen Civil War, 1962-1968. https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/12269828
Palmer, M. (1966). The United Arab Republic: An Assessment of Its Failure. Middle East Journal, 20(1), 50–67. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4323954
Parvaz, D. (2014, February 11). Iran 1979: the Islamic revolution that shook the world. Features | Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/2/11/iran-1979-the-islamic-revolution-that-shook-the-world
Rakipoğlu, M. (2017). Revisiting the Saudi Position During the Iran-Iraq War through the Lens of Balance of Threat Theory. Ortadoğu Etütleri, 9(1), 118–134. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/931301
REZAEI, F., & COHEN, R. A. (2014). Iran’s Nuclear Program and the Israeli-Iranian Rivalry in the Post Revolutionary Era. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 41(4), 442–460. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43917079
Robinson, K. (2021, March 2). Iran’s regional armed network. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/article/irans-regional-armed-network
Turak, N. (2023, March 10). Arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to revive ties, reopen embassies in China-brokered deal. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/10/arch-rivals-iran-and-saudi-arabia-agree-to-revive-ties-reopen-embassies.html
Weddington, D. (2017). Rivalry in the Middle East: The Hist y in the Middle East: The History of Saudi-Ir y of Saudi-Iranian Relations anian Relations and its Implications on American Foreign Policy. [Doctoral dissertation]. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4139&context=theses
Wintour, P. (2023, March 10). Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to restore ties after China-brokered talks. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/10/iran-saudi-arabia-agree-restore-ties-china-talks
Zahrani, M. T. (2002). The Coup That Changed the Middle East: Mossadeq v. The CIA in Retrospect. World Policy Journal, 19(2), 93–99. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40209809
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Syed Umair Jalal, Yunas Khan, Ghulam Murtaza Pitafi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
