US President Joe Biden is greeted by Prince Khaled al-Faisal al-Saud, Governor of Mecca, on his arrival in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuters/Saudi Press Agency
As US President Joe Biden arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday on the final leg of a Middle Eastern tour that has placed Iran’s nuclear ambitions front and center, the United Arab Emirates, a key regional ally, delivered the unexpected announcement that it was breaking ranks by seeking a rapprochement with the Tehran regime.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the UAE’s Environment Minister, Anwar Gargash, said that the Gulf nation was sending an ambassador to Iran as part of the process of “rebuilding bridges” with the Islamic Republic. The UAE was the first in a series of Arab countries to sign peace deals with Israel during the last three years, reaching a historic agreement — the Abraham Accords — in Aug. 2020. At the time, Iran vociferously condemned the agreement, terming it a “shameful” act of “strategic stupidity.”
On Friday, Gargash specifically rebuffed suggestions that the UAE would join a regional defensive alliance to counter Iran. “We are open to cooperation, but not cooperation targeting any other country in the region and I specifically mention Iran,” he said. “The UAE is not going to be a party to any group of countries that sees confrontation as a direction, but we do have serious issues with Iran with its regional politics.”
The UAE’s stance on Iran contrasted sharply with the fighting words of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid during his meeting with Biden in Jerusalem. “Words will not stop them, diplomacy will not stop them,” Lapid said of the Iranians during a joint press conference. “The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program the free world will use force.”
For his part, Biden acknowledged that denying Iran nuclear weapons is a vital security interest, reiterating that a return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is the preferred course for the US.
Iranian leaders were in no mood to compromise as the president toured the region. In a statement on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declared that Iran’s goal was to lift the punishing international sanctions imposed on the regime.
“Undoubtedly, the puppetry by the White House and Zionism in the region will make us more determined,” said Amirabdollahian.
In a separate set of remarks, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry insisted that the entire Arab and Islamic world was being pressured into accepting Israeli regional dominance.
“The target is not merely Iran, but [that] Arab and Islamic countries should constantly accept the superiority of the Zionist regime,” Nasser Kanaani said.
Biden landed in the Saudi capital Jeddah on Friday for meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Biden has defended his decision to meet with the crown prince, whom the president had previously denounced for his role in the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
At his press conference with Lapid in Jerusalem, Biden said that the purpose of his visit to Saudi Arabia was to “promote US interests in a way that I think we have an opportunity to reassert our influence in the Middle East.”
Earlier on Friday, Biden met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The president expressed sympathy with the Palestinian predicament, telling Abbas that the US could “feel” their “grief and frustration.” Yet he made no concrete promises to the PA, even acknowledging that revived peace talks with Israel were not a realistic prospect.
“Even if the ground is not ripe at this moment to restart negotiations, the United States and my administration will not give up on bringing the Palestinians and the Israelis, both sides, closer together,” Biden pledged.
Reuters contributed reporting
Don’t worry, Israel — America has your back:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1547581961828323331
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Additionally, the Trump doctrine included many aspects, but all of them opposed the Iranian’s nuclear program. Between the Israeli projection of strength and determination to face the Iranians combined with the American conviction opposing the Iranian’s obtaining a nuclear status, this led the UAE to exercise the calculated risk associated with openly entering into an anti-Iranian posture as they did with signing the Abraham Accords. Tragically, over the past two years, the combination of the significant erosion of American stature in the region, the complete reversal of Trump’s Iran policy, the ever emerging breach between Israel and Russia and the increasing ties between Tehran and Moscow, combined with the replacement of Bibi’s willingness to frankly and unilateral oppose Biden’s Iran policy with the quiet reproaches provided by Bennett, it would seem that the moment of courage inspired in the govt of the UAE have passed. Even if Edgar’s suggestion that this is a mere grandstanding posture adopted to hedge the bets of UAE, this all by itself should be seen to be a significant change from their prior position of courage when they signed the Abraham Accords.
In fact, it seems that Bennett and Lapid failed to respect the most formidable rule in the Middle East, which holds that strength follows strength, and everyone scorns weakness, despite any advantage which that weakness might be pursuing. Indeed, the consequence of the sea change between the policies of Bibi and the policies of Bennett have demonstrably had a harrowing effect, even though they each opposed the Biden Iran policy, though with enormous distinctions of tact and presentation, and none of this could have missed the eye of Israel’s nascent allies, who expected leadership and strength from their Israeli ally as they are placing a great deal of trust in the Israeli leadership’s ability to successfully oppose the rise of Iran’s nuclear status. It seems that placing the control of the Israeli nation into the hands of Lapid over the next many months, despite the image of the hollow American grandstanding to support Lapid, failed to provide the UAE with the will to continue their own defiant stance to Iran. The pathetic image of this American visit which was clearly intended to support the political needs of Lapid’s limited hopes in the upcoming elections, could hardly have been missed by the Sunni leaders, and it was likely not aided by the fact that Malley is still supportive of a return to his useless JPOA as a point of success of US Iran policy.
Quite a catastrophe for all involved besides the Iranian Mullahs who have just gained a significant victory, as I see things.
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This is a catastrophe. As Israel had dithered about over the past year in the shadow of the US, projecting weakness in the face of US determination to return Iran to its position of prominence in the Middle East, the concern over the solidarity of the Sunni nations to hold firm to their support of an Israeli led opposition to Iran was ever present.
The Sunni’s did not turn to Israel for leadership against the threat of Tehran as mere whim. They saw Israel project the strength of a people determined to oppose the Iranians, even to the point that they publicly opposed their American ally, even from within the American political system and the halls of a joint session of Congress. It was this strength, determination and willful defiance, demonstrated by Bibi’s govts, which first allured the Arabs to the impossible position of following Israeli leadership in their opposition to Iran.
Unfortunately, the position of strength created by Bibi over the years has been sharply diminished over this past many months, with the adoption of Bennet’s policy of quiet diplomacy, where Israel was seen to be publicly reticent to openly rebuke the Americans even from within the halls of the Knessett, and Bennett has acknowledged this distinction was the very nature of his policy vis a vis America. Amb. Friedman recently noted that this new tact of Israeli policy was reasonable for the Bennett govt, from the perspective of gaining diplomatic advantages from the US who might be motivated to provide what support was needed to prevent a new election and a return of Bibi to power. It was, however, a seismic break from Bibi’s policy of projected strength which openly opposed Obama’s push to provide Iran with a free hand, ready cash and a nuclear arsenal, and it was this very policy of strength which provided the Arabs with the motivation to quietly move more closely to Israel, at first under the radar.
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They are “covering their backsides” with this declaration. We must wait and see how it affects their relationship with Israel. The Saudis are also sidling up to Iran. And they are getting “buddy-buddy” with Israel also. But they have decided to open their air space to ALL nations, to push down any importance that may have been attached to opening to Israel .
Netanyahu MUST reclaim the PM seat. If Israel does not see this then there’s no hope for them. In past times, in other countries, movement like what’s happening now would seriously destabilise countries and reserves would be called up and various manoeuvres. would take place. Every country would be “bristling”…
Dangerous times ahead not suitable for amateur local politicians Experts are a MUST.
I am in shock. Not only does this slam the door on a ME NATO but it puts into question their friendship with Israel.
This is devastating news and may possibly either speak of a broader opposition to the anti-Iran axis than that voiced by UAE alone, or may lead to a broader opposition growing from the UAE’s move to oppose the anti-Iran axis. It may, likewise, only speak of the isolated move made by the UAE, but this, all by itself, has quite a serious defeat. Also the timing of this declaration being made hours after Biden departed Israel can not possibly be a point of coincidence.