Saudi Arabia expands its anti- Iran strategy

Iran says US ally Saudi the real ‘ terrorism sponsor’, rejects terror charges in Washington report

Riyadh/TehranDubai , June 5: Under King Salman, Saudi Arabia is expanding its confrontation with Iran well beyond Wast Asia, no longer relying heavily on Western allies to smother Tehran’s ambitions outside the Arab world.

Since King Salman came to power early in 2015, and Tehran struck a nuclear deal with world powers, Riyadh has adjusted its strategy for countering the efforts of its Shia rival to build influence in Africa, Asia and even Latin America.

Most notably, the Sunni power has used Muslim networks to push states into cutting off contacts with Iran, including by creating an Islamic Coalition against Terrorism without inviting Tehran to join.

“Iran is the one that isolated itself by supporting terrorism,” foreign minister Adel al- Jubeir told a recent press conference. “That is why the world reacted to Iran, and particularly the Islamic world, and basically said ‘ enough is enough’.”

Riyadh is alarmed by Tehran’s support for the Shia Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and cut off military aid to the Beirut government after it failed to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Likewise, Saudi forces have launched a war on Iranian- allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.

But all this is part of its long- standing diplomatic, economic and military efforts to contain what it sees as a pernicious expansion of Iranian activity in

Arab nations. Now it is attempting to orchestrate support elsewhere, including from countries such as Pakistan and Malaysia through its creation in November 2015 of the coalition against terrorism.

The strategy partly responds to implementation of the nuclear deal in January. Riyadh fears this will give Iran more scope to push its interests internationally by releasing it from many of the sanctions which have crippled

its economy.

With even the US now saying Western banks can resume legitimate business with Tehran, the Saudis believe their main Western ally is gradually disengaging from the region. “They understand the old international order is dead and they have to take responsibility,” said a senior diplomat in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, Tehran on Sunday dismissed its renewed blacklisting by Washington as a state sponsor of terrorism charging that it was US allies including Riyadh that were the real culprits.

The Iranian foreign ministry noted its role in neighbouring Iraq supporting the government against ISIS jihadist group independently of a US- led coalition as well as its backing for the Syrian regime against jihadists and other rebels, some of them backed by Saudi Arabia.

Washington “turns a blind eye to the broad political and financial support by Saudi Arabia and its other allies to this ominous phenomenon in the world,” foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said. “While US allies in the region in various ways support Daesh ( ISIS) and other terrorist groups, the Islamic Republic of Iran is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism in Iraq and Syria.”

Mr Ansari said Washington’s support for Israel despite its decadesold occupation of the Palestinian territories made it the “biggest sponsor of state terrorism”.

“The legitimate struggle of nations which are occupied ... Are not examples of terrorism, and such charges in the American report are rejected,” said Mr Ansari.