Riyadh, February 21: In light of the US diplomatic drive to isolate Iran and impose stricter sanctions on the country, analysts have said Saudi Arabia needs to protect its own interests over that of the US.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week as part of efforts to rally support for the US strategy on Iran with regard to its nuclear programme.
Speaking to Gulf News, Saudi analysts noted that the position taken by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal was clear and practical.
Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah said the foreign minister had spoken about the kingdom’s position and need to protect its interests on the issue and not that of the US.
Prince Saud had said: “The entire region must be rid of nuclear weapons. We reject such weapons whether they are in Iran or in Israel. It is up to the US to realise this position in good sense.”
Complicated issue
Al Attiyah is of the view that the actual provocation for the US initiative against Iran was Israel’s anxiety about the Iranian nuclear programme.
“Israel wants to remain the only power with nuclear weapons in the region so that it can continue to pose perennial threat to the entire region and can use the nuclear bomb against its enemy,” he noted.
Dr Hassan Al Ahdal, a political analyst, pointed out that it was the US that first helped Tehran to set up a nuclear plant during the regime of Shah Riza Pahlavi.
“The US wanted to use the Shah’s Iran militarily against the erstwhile Soviet Union. But after the Soviet Union’s collapse, it turned to Israel,” he said.
Dr Al Ahdal noted that Saudi Arabia and all other Gulf Cooperation Council states are against Iranian nuclear ambitions.
“But this issue should be solved peacefully. At the same time, we have to reject the US double standard vis-à-vis the nuclear programme of Iran and Israel,” he said.
Clinton’s visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar signalled the administration’s tougher tone in handling the Iran nuclear issue.
She warned that Iran was turning into a military dictatorship bent on building a nuclear bomb. The top American diplomat also underlined the need for mounting pressure on Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment programme and respond positively to the international calls for allowing UN arms inspectors to visit the nuclear sites.
——–Agencies