Tracker
Saudi Arabia-Iran Relations
Nuclear:
Saudi Arabia has questioned the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities and has issued statements condemning Iran’s lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 2006, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal criticized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for making extreme statements and urged “Iran to accept the position that we have taken to make the Gulf, as part of the Middle East, nuclear free and free of weapons of mass destruction. We hope that they will join us in this policy and assure that no new threat of arms race happens in this region.”[1] Similar to other Arab states, the Kingdom has taken the position that while nuclear weapons may be prohibited, Iran does have an undeniable right to the peaceful exploitation of atomic energy. This view was reiterated during Saudi King Abdullah’s visit to Germany on November 7, 2007. While in the country, Abdullah stated that "Iran has announced its nuclear program is intended for peaceful use. If this is the case, then we don't see any justification for escalation, confrontation and challenge, which only makes issues more complicated."[2]
Saudi Arabia has collaborated with the United States and has supported United Nations sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program. In December 2008, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States – plus Germany held a meeting with eight Arab states – Bahrain Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – to discuss how the UN could apply pressure to Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment.[3]
In April 2009, US Special Adviser for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia Dennis Ross visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar to discuss diplomatic efforts to engage Iran on its nuclear program.[4] In the summer of 2009, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner met with officials in the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and France to discuss international sanctions against Iran's nuclear program. The July 2009 announcement of Geithner’s visit to Europe and the Middle East came days after the Group of Eight (G8) reaffirmed its commitment to finding a “diplomatic solution to the issue of Iran’s nuclear program,” but refrained from explicitly raising the threat of new sanctions.[5]
During an August 2009 joint press conference, Prince Saud highlighted cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, stating that "[t]oday, our two nations are working closely to emphasize the need for Iran to adhere to its obligation under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty." United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed the Saudi foreign minister’s sentiment, noting that the two countries "shared concerns about the destabilizing role that Iran has played throughout the region and the continued expansion of its nuclear program."[6]
Saudi Arabia warned in February 2010 that Iran could still develop a nuclear weapon before stronger sanctions take effect, even as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought Saudi support for a new round of UN-backed penalties. Prince Saud explained his country's concern saying “sanctions are a long-term solution. They may work. We can’t judge…But we see the shorter term maybe because we are closer to the threat…So we need an immediate solution rather than a gradual resolution.” Saud also expressed his agreement with Clinton’s assessment of the dangers posed by the Iranian military, saying that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps represents a serious threat to the region.[7]
In a declaration issued after a March 2010 meeting between visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and King Abdullah, the two leaders once again called on the international community to resolve the controversy over Iran's nuclear program peacefully through dialogue. The sides also urged Iran to respond to efforts to remove "doubts" over its atomic ambitions.[8]
Prior to the adoption of an additional UNSC resolution against the country in June 2010, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates claimed that Saudi Arabia had signaled its willingness to press China to endorse the new round of sanctions against Iran. Following a series of meetings with Saudi officials in March 2010, Gates stated that the talks had examined "how we bring pressure on the Iranian government to change its policies." The defense secretary suggested Saudi agreement, saying "I think there is an understanding that we have to try this. This is the next step."[9] Official sources quoted by the Saudi Press Agency, however, denied that the Kingdom agreed to undertake any such efforts. An unnamed Saudi official claimed that “this issue [about Iran sanctions] is not true, it was not discussed during the visit of the Secretary of Defense who was in the Kingdom recently.”[10] Gates’ statements aside, China ultimately voted in favor of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 on June 9, 2010.
Economic Relationship:
Saudi Arabia and Iran have two of the larger economies in their region, yet trade between the two has been limited due to political relations, the hydrocarbon-based nature of their economies, and, most recently, by UN sanctions against Iran for its nuclear enrichment program. Though the two have a total global trade of about $100 billion, their own bilateral trade stands at only $450 million.[11] These limitations notwithstanding, the two countries have made moves to continue mutually lucrative investment deals and in May 2009 Saudi Arabian ministers participated in a major international conference on foreign investment in Iran.[12]
In an effort to maintain its status as the world’s top oil producer, Saudi Arabia announced in October 2009 that it would moderate oil prices, even if it damages regional rival Iran. Saudi Arabia issued the statement as US crude oil dropped to $80 a barrel after peaking at $82. Samuel Ciszuk of IHS Global Insight claimed that “Saudi Arabia derives almost all its position in international politics from the fact it is the largest oil exporter. Without that, it does not matter whether Iran is strong or weak. There might be an interesting confluence of interest. A lower oil price might weaken Iran.”[13]
[Click here for more information on Saudi Arabia’s business activity with Iran.]
Diplomatic/Military Relationship:
As an ally of the United States, Saudi Arabia’s relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been relatively strained since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Despite common membership in international organizations such as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the Non-Aligned Movement and similar economies based on oil resources, Saudi Arabia and Iran have often found themselves in political competition. During the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988, Saudi Arabia supported Saddam Hussein against Iran, although it subsequently fought against Iraq during the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War.[14] In recent years, relations have been harmed by the fact that Saudi Arabia has publicly questioned the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Indeed, Saudi Arabia’s hostility to Iran’s nuclear program has generated speculation that the country might endorse military action against Iran should diplomatic approaches prove futile. In response to such rumors, however, the Saudi Embassy in Jordan released a statement in June 2010 flatly denying that the country would permit its airspace to be used by the Israeli military, noting that it is state policy to not permit another country to use its territory for hostile military action.[15]
In March 2009, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal argued in favor of a common Arab strategy to ensuring regional security. He added that Arab governments “need a common vision for issues that concern Arab security, including the Arab-Israel struggle and how to deal with the Iranian challenge.”[16] In June 2009, US President Barack Obama met with Saudi King Abdullah to discuss Saudi concerns over the Iranian nuclear program and reiterate the two countries friendly diplomatic relations.[17]
On July 26, 2009, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki summoned Saudi Ambassador Osama bin Ahmad al-Sonosi to discuss “Saudi police misbehavior with Iranian pilgrims” visiting Saudi Arabia. The summons came after Saudi authorities fingerprinted Iranian women arriving at Jeddah International Airport.[18] The row over the treatment of Iranian pilgrims in the Saudi Kingdom continued to escalate in the end of July 2009, leading to heavy criticism by the head of Iran’s pilgrimage office in Saudi Arabia, Hassan Saqaie. Saqaie claimed that abuses by the Saudi “morality forces” have increased noticeably recently: "not only do [the morality forces] limit the religious activities of clerics, but they make false accusations against pilgrims and ask them to sign papers stating that they would not repeat the so called offenses." The pilgrimage head called upon Saudi authorities to take steps to reduce abuses.[19] On August 9, 2009, citing a H1N1 flu outbreak in Saudi Arabia, Spokesman of Iran's Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh announced that all flights to the Saudi Arabia would cease throughout the holy month of Ramadan.[20]
Iran has repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia of unjustified involvement in the political and military unrest in Yemen. After a Saudi Arabian air raid against Shia rebels operating in Yemen in November 2009, Shia majority Iran warned Sunni majority Saudi Arabia to halt support of the Yemeni military’s actions against the insurgents.[21] Following the Saudi attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki warned that “those who pour oil on the fire must know that they will not be spared from the smoke that billows.”[22] In a January 2010 speech, President Ahmadinejad stated that the Kingdom’s actions were part of a plot against Muslims.[23] Ahmadinejad further added that “it was expected that … [Saudi Arabia] would enter in Yemen domestic conflict to create peace and friendship, not to enter the war and use weapons against Muslims.” In response, Saudi Arabian’s foreign minister, Prince Saud, denied that Saudi Arabia is involved in the Yemeni conflict and contended that it is in fact Iran that responsible for the turmoil.[24] Only days after the president’s comments, Mottaki seemingly sought to lessen tensions, describing Iran and Saudi Arabia as two important countries in the Middle East and the Islamic world. The minister went on to say that “Iran and Saudi Arabia, along with other Islamic nations, can take important steps towards resolving problems facing the Islamic world." Moreover, Mottaki stressed that Iran considers expanding relations with all the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council members, including Saudi Arabia, a foreign policy priority.[25]
In December 2009, Foreign Minister Prince Saud confirmed that Tehran and Riyadh began talks concerning the repatriation of wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden’s daughter while she sought asylum in the Saudi embassy in Tehran.[26] Several of bin Laden’s children and one wife crossed the Afghan-Iranian border in 2001 and have since lived under house-arrest.[27] According to Foreign Minister Mottaki, the teenager would be free to leave the country once her identity and travel documents were confirmed.[28]
In January 2010, the Riyadh-based Islamic Solidarity Games Federation canceled the year's event, scheduled to be held in Tehran in April, due to Iran’s refusal to remove the phrase "Persian Gulf" from the event's promotional material and medals. According to a statement published by the Iranian committee for the games, "regrettably and without presenting any logical reasons, the [Islamic Solidarity Games Federation] decided not to hold the games with Iran as the host." The committee in Riyadh, in turn, accused Iran of taking unilateral decisions "by writing some slogans" on the medals and pamphlets. There was no indication the games' cancellation was related to Iran's recent political unrest or rising tensions over Saudi-Iranian interference in Yemen. [29]
Since their late 2009-early 2010 quarrel over Yemen and other issues, the two sides have taken a more conciliatory tone in addressing bilateral relations. During a May 2010 meeting between Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Iranian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammad Javad Rasouli Mahallati, Prince Salman stressed the strategic role both countries play in regional politics and the Islamic world as a whole. Ambassador Mahallati, for his part, encouraged the expansion of bilateral ties as far as capabilities permit.[30] Later that month, Foreign Minister Mottaki echoed Prince Salman’s comments, arguing that "wide interaction between [Saudi Arabia and Iran] will increase regional cooperation and remove the problems of the Muslim world… "The Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia are two important states at regional and international levels and play a strategic role in resolving regional problems."[31] Similarly, also in May 2010, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar bin Obaid Madani met with Ambassador Mahallati, saying that he considers dialog between the two sides essential to resolving barriers to improved bilateral ties.[32]
In June 2010, President Ahmadinejad, in a meeting with Saudi Ambassador Mohammed Ibn Abbas al-Kallabi, urged the two countries to remember their common religious identity and resist efforts by hostile actors to separate them. The Iranian president stated that, "Iran and Saudi Arabia should take the side of each other given their common religion, outstanding position and common interests and enemies.” Ahmadinejad added that "enemies are seeking geopolitical change of the region, including Saudi Arabia, and today, the Iranian nation has powerfully stood up to their sinister wishes and is supporting all Muslim states as a duty." The Saudi envoy responded by noting the importance of improving relations, saying “undoubtedly, nobody can affect mutual ties thanks to strong determination of the two countries' officials to upgrade bilateral and regional ties and cooperation.”[33]
On July 19, 2010, Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani met with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Iran. During their talks, Larijani encouraged the two countries to expand bilateral ties, suggesting that cooperation in judicial matters could serve to strengthen relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian chief further argued in favor of establishing a committee of judicial chiefs from Islamic countries. The Saudi ambassador welcomed Larijani’s calls for improved ties and indicated that cooperation between the two would help improve the international stature of Muslims, making them “stronger in the face of anti-Islamic moves.”[34]
[Click here for more information on the Gulf Cooperation Council]
