Middle East meltdown

If Iran was behind the Saudi attack it could represent a last-ditch effort to get the world to put pressure on US

Saudi Arabia appears to be walking a thin line to keep its cold war with Iran from boiling over. In a recent TV interview, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continued to blame Iran for the escalation of tensions in the Middle East but was far more cautious in his suggested response. The reason, in no small part, may well be the September 14 drone and missile attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attacks, which the Saudis and Americans have blamed on Iran. And while the Iranians claim they have nothing to do with the attack, they have also called it an act of “legitimate defence” by the Houthi rebels.

The Saudi crown prince has even gone as far as blaming Iranian “stupidity” for the attacks and claiming there was no strategic goal. But whoever was behind the attacks, they did do real damage, showing the world how vulnerable critical Saudi infrastructure is to strikes from state or non-state actors. Calling for “strong and firm action to deter Iran”, he also admitted that a military confrontation could cause the global economy to collapse. That would be in the interest of both, the Houthis, who have nothing to lose for their impoverished and economically insignificant country, and the Iranians, whose economy is already being punished by American sanctions after the US chose to violate the multilateral nuclear deal.

The US was unwilling to listen to its intelligence assets and European allies when Iran was playing by the rules. The US played dirty by basing its actions on the false evidence and statements of Israeli warmonger and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If Iran was behind the attacks, it could arguably represent a last-ditch effort to get the world to put pressure on the US and others to negotiate with it from a position of weakness, lest economically sound states get punished for the bumbling actions of hawks in the Trump administration and its allies.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2019.

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