Iran Tracker

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.  In 2006, Saudi 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]  During his visit to Germany on November 7, 2007, the Saudi king said, "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 UN 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]  The US Treasury Department announced in July 2009 that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet with officials in the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and France to discuss international sanctions against Iran's nuclear program. The 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, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal 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 Faisal’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]

Economic Relationship:

Saudi Arabia and Iran have two of the larger economies of their region, yet trade between the two has been limited due to political relations and most recently by U.N. 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.[7]  Despite these limits, the two countries have made moves to continue mutually lucrative investment deals.  In May 2009, Saudi Arabian ministers participated in a large conference on foreign investment in Iran hosted in Tehran.[8]

In a push to maintain its status as the world’s top oil producer, Saudi Arabia claimed in October 2009 that it would moderate oil prices, even if this hurts its regional rival Iran.  Saudi Arabia issued this statement as US crude oil dropped to $80 a barrel after peaking at $82.  Samuel Ciszuk of IHS Global Insight said of the rivalry, “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.”[9]

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 to international organizations such as OPEC and NAM—Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the Non-Aligned Movement—and similar economies based on oil resources, Saudi Arabia and Iran have often found themselves in economic and political competition. During the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988, Saudi Arabia supported Saddam Hussein against Iran.[10]  In recent years, relations have been particularly strained as Saudi Arabia has publicly questioned the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. In 2005, the two signed a 49-article memorandum of understanding which dictated that the Iranian Banks of Melli and Parsian would establish new branches in Jeddah, these banks were later closed for their connections to Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities.[11] 

In March 2009, Saudi foreign minister Saud Al-Faisal said that Arab states should create a common strategy to ensure regional security. He said 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.”[12]  In June 2009, US President Barack Obama met with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah to discuss Saudi concerns over the Iranian nuclear program and reiterate the two countries friendly diplomatic relations.[13]

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki summoned Saudi Ambassador Osama bin Ahmad al-Sonosi to Iran on July 26, 2009, 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.[14] 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.[15] 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 kingdom would cease throughout the holy month of Ramadan.[16]

After Saudi Arabia’s air raid attacks against Shia rebels in Yemen in November 2009, Shia majority Iran warned Sunni majority Saudi Arabia not to continue its support of Yemen in driving out the insurgents.[17]  Following the Saudi air raids, 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.”[18]