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Kuwait becomes latest Saudi ally to downgrade ties with Iran Kuwait becomes latest Saudi ally to downgrade ties with Iran
(about 2 hours later)
BEIRUT — Kuwait became the latest in a growing list of Saudi Arabian allies to cut or downgrade ties with Iran, saying Tuesday that it had recalled its ambassador to Tehran in solidarity with the kingdom.BEIRUT — Kuwait became the latest in a growing list of Saudi Arabian allies to cut or downgrade ties with Iran, saying Tuesday that it had recalled its ambassador to Tehran in solidarity with the kingdom.
The expanding rift between Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies with the Shiite government in Tehran has pushed the region dangerously closer to conflict, prompting alarmed appeals for restraint from powers across the globe. The widening rift between Western-backed Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies with the Shiite government in Tehran has pushed the region dangerously closer to conflict, prompting alarmed appeals for restraint from powers across the globe.
Bahrain and Sudan joined Saudi Arabia in severing diplomatic relations with Iran on Monday, and the United Arab Emirates, a key Iranian trading partner, recalled its ambassador, as the fallout from the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia on Saturday heightened sectarian tensions across the Middle East. Bahrain and Sudan joined Saudi Arabia in severing diplomatic relations with Iran on Monday, and the United Arab Emirates, a key Iranian trading partner, recalled its ambassador, as the fallout from the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia on Saturday sharpened sectarian tensions across the Middle East.
Kuwait did not specify in its announcement whether it had cut off ties entirely or had simply recalled its ambassador, as the U.A.E. had done. Among the worries is whether the impasse could set back attempts at finding a political formula to ease the civil war in Syria, where Iran backs the government of Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia is the opposite side as a major supporter of anti-Assad factions.
The diplomatic feud also could become an unwelcome distraction for Washington and its Western allies in the against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
[The verbal salvos between Tehran and Riyadh]
The Obama administration, caught in the middle by its quest for a closer relationship with Iran and its long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia, said it hoped Tehran and Riyadh would dial back the hostile rhetoric that has fueled the worst crisis between the regional rivals in decades.The Obama administration, caught in the middle by its quest for a closer relationship with Iran and its long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia, said it hoped Tehran and Riyadh would dial back the hostile rhetoric that has fueled the worst crisis between the regional rivals in decades.
“We’re urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.“We’re urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.
China, the European Union and Russia also called on Tehran and Riyadh to take steps to settle their differences peacefully, with Russia, an emerging center of gravity in the region, offering to mediate between them, according to Russian news agencies. In other world capitals, the message was similar as concerns mounted.
The latest appeals included Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu calling on Saudi Arabia and Iran to immediate open “diplomatic channels” — perhaps through a third country — to ease the impasse.
[How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings][How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings]
The implications of the Saudi-Iranian rift extend far beyond their immediate rivalry as competing regional powerhouses and encompass almost all of the wars raging in the Middle East. The current crisis could further complicate efforts to resolve the Syrian war and could strengthen, by default, the Islamic State. But there were few signs of outreach.
In another sign of fallout from the dispute, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said it was suspending all flights between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a move that raised uncertainties about the ability of Iranian pilgrims to visit the important Muslim pilgrimage site of Mecca, and of Saudi Arabian Shiites to visit shrines in Iran. In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani slammed Saudi Arabia as trying to “cover up its crime” of executing the cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, as part of the kingdom’s largest mass execution since 1980.
Iran said Saudi Arabia made a “strategic mistake” when it went ahead with the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr despite repeated warnings from Tehran that carrying out the death penalty against him would have repercussions. At a palace in Riyadh, meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, in efforts to bolster a common front. On Monday, Saudi Arabia pledged more than $3 billion in loans and other assistance Egypt’s battered economy despite Riyadh’s own belt-tightening due to slumping oil prices.
Iran also, however, reiterated regrets expressed over the weekend for an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, during which protesters enraged by Nimr’s execution broke into the premises, smashed windows and furniture and then set the embassy on fire. Iran says it has arrested demonstrators responsible for the assault and has pledged to deter future attacks against all diplomatic facilities in Iran. In previous years, increased friction between OPEC giants would likely send oil sharply higher. But a current glut of oil on the market — coupled with a slowing economy in China — has kept oil prices relatively steady even among the deepening Saudi-Iran crisis.
The official Saudi Press Agency quoted al-Jubeir as denouncing Iranian sponsored “terrorism, violence and extremism” around the region — clear references to divides in flash points such as Syria and Yemen.
Nimr was a leading voice among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, which has claimed discrimination and other pressures at the hands of the kingdom’s Sunni rulers. Saudi authorities convicted Nimr of terror-related acts.
[Could impasse complicate the fight against the Islamic State?][Could impasse complicate the fight against the Islamic State?]
The island of Bahrain, whose ruling Sunni royal family faces a challenge from its majority-Shiite population, swiftly followed the Saudi lead in breaking off relations with Tehran. The executed cleric, Nimr, had also served as an inspiration for many of the island’s Shiites. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet Yet the implications of the Saudi-Iranian rift extend far beyond their immediate rivalry as competing regional powerhouses and encompass almost all of the wars raging in the Middle East. The current crisis could further complicate efforts to resolve the Syrian war and could strengthen, by default, the Islamic State.
Sudan said it was breaking off relations with Iran “in solidarity” with Riyadh, but it wields little influence in the heart of the Middle East. In another sign of fallout, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said Monday it was suspending all flights between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a move that raised uncertainties about the ability of Iranian pilgrims to visit the important Muslim pilgrimage site of Mecca, and of Saudi Arabian Shiites to visit shrines in Iran.
The United Arab Emirates downgraded ties, withdrawing its ambassador from Tehran and telling the Iranian ambassador in the Emirates to go home.
Other major regional powers, such as Egypt and Turkey, did not join in the diplomatic onslaught against Tehran. Turkish officials echoed calls for restraint on the part of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Saudi-Iranian standoff is likely to have repercussions in the wars ravaging parts of the Middle East — some of them directly fueled by the two countries’ antagonism.
The wars in Yemen and Syria in particular are at risk of worsening as a result of the rift. Saudi Arabia and Iran back rival factions in each of those countries.
[In legacy of a revered martyr, Saudi Shiites find sustenance][In legacy of a revered martyr, Saudi Shiites find sustenance]
Iran, however, reiterated regrets expressed over the weekend for an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, during which protesters enraged by Nimr’s execution broke into the premises, smashed windows and furniture and then set the embassy on fire. Iran says it has arrested demonstrators responsible for the assault and has pledged to deter future attacks against all diplomatic facilities in Iran.
“I don’t think this is going to open warfare, but it’s going to make the proxy battles worse,” said Mohamad Bazzi, a professor at New York University who is writing a book on Iranian-Saudi relations. “The pattern has been that when one side escalates, the other escalates. Now that is going to spiral.”“I don’t think this is going to open warfare, but it’s going to make the proxy battles worse,” said Mohamad Bazzi, a professor at New York University who is writing a book on Iranian-Saudi relations. “The pattern has been that when one side escalates, the other escalates. Now that is going to spiral.”
One major concern is the fledgling peace process in Syria, endorsed by a U.N. Security Council resolution last month, which the State Department has counted among one of its greatest achievements of 2015.One major concern is the fledgling peace process in Syria, endorsed by a U.N. Security Council resolution last month, which the State Department has counted among one of its greatest achievements of 2015.
The United Nations dispatched its special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, on an emergency mission to Riyadh and Tehran to see whether the peace talks between rival Syrian factions will be able to go ahead as scheduled Jan. 25.The United Nations dispatched its special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, on an emergency mission to Riyadh and Tehran to see whether the peace talks between rival Syrian factions will be able to go ahead as scheduled Jan. 25.
With Iran and Saudi Arabia not on speaking terms, it is hard to see any meaningful peace process getting underway, Bazzi said. “It was already going to be difficult,” he said. “But the Americans and the Russians had got everyone to agree to at least sit at the table, and that seems to have been erased by this.”With Iran and Saudi Arabia not on speaking terms, it is hard to see any meaningful peace process getting underway, Bazzi said. “It was already going to be difficult,” he said. “But the Americans and the Russians had got everyone to agree to at least sit at the table, and that seems to have been erased by this.”
Also at risk is the war against the Islamic State, which is often obscured by the region’s many other rivalries.Also at risk is the war against the Islamic State, which is often obscured by the region’s many other rivalries.
“The growing sectarian polarization across the region will primarily benefit the Islamic State, which is promoting a sectarian narrative,” the London-based defense consultancy IHS said in a commentary.“The growing sectarian polarization across the region will primarily benefit the Islamic State, which is promoting a sectarian narrative,” the London-based defense consultancy IHS said in a commentary.
Murphy reported from Washington.
Read more:Read more:
How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadingsHow Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings
The seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalryThe seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry