Saudia Arabia and Iran squash decades of hostility with unprecedented joint military drills

One twelvemonth ago, Saudi Arabia and Israel were connected nan precipice of a normalization woody that would person realigned nan Middle East and further isolated Iran. 

This week, Saudi Arabia and Iran held their first-ever associated naval drills successful nan Gulf of Oman, their ministries revealed, successful what would look to beryllium a motion of rapprochement betwixt nan longtime location foes. 

"The Royal Saudi Naval Forces had precocious concluded a associated naval workout pinch nan Iranian Naval Forces alongside different countries successful nan Sea of Oman," Saudi equipped forces spokesperson Turki al-Malki confirmed to nan French news outlet AFP.

He added "no different exercises are being addressed during this play of time." 

Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia severed ties successful 2016 and person agelong backed opposing sides successful location conflicts. They resumed relations past twelvemonth successful a China-brokered deal, moreover arsenic nan U.S. hoped to bring them into an Abraham Accords-style woody that would normalize their narration pinch Tehran’s force number-one, Israel. 

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This week, Saudi Arabia, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, above, and Iran held their first-ever associated naval drills successful nan Gulf of Oman. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via Reuters.)

Iran claimed that it was Saudi Arabia that organized nan drills.

"Saudi Arabia has asked that we shape associated exercises successful nan Red Sea," nan commandant of Iran’s navy, Admiral Shahram Irani, was quoted arsenic saying by ISNA. 

The U.S. has subject accommodation and troops stationed successful Saudi Arabia. The U.S. conducted a large-scale logistics workout pinch nan Royal Saudi Armed Forces and United Arab Emirates Armed Forces successful May.

"Hard not to exaggerate nan value of this. It's arsenic if nan U.S. and Russia were to clasp a associated subject exercise," Iranian-born commentator Hooman Majd wrote connected X, formerly Twitter. 

Other experts said nan exercises proved only that nan kingdom is fearful of Tehran. 

"The Saudis are concerned astir being caught betwixt [Iran and Israel]," Meir Javedanfar, an Iran teacher astatine Reichman University successful Tel Aviv, told Fox News Digital, adding that they took portion successful nan naval drills to "not beryllium seen arsenic taking Israel's side." 

"Behind closed doors, nan Saudis stay profoundly suspicious of Iran's policies, particularly successful Yemen." 

"I would spot this much arsenic a ‘hedge your bets’ situation," said Victoria Coates, lawman nationalist information advisor during nan Trump administration. 

"They are concerned astir whether aliases not nan U.S. would beryllium robust successful its defense of nan kingdom successful nan arena that nan Iranians, successful retaliation for immoderate Israel will aliases will not do targets them."

"Built into nan original Iranian charter is nan assertion that nan House of Saud is nan illegitimate keeper of nan 2 mosques, and that they should beryllium successful Shiite hands. So fundamentally, those 2 can't play successful nan aforesaid sandbox," she added, referring to nan 2 holiest sites successful Islam, Mecca and Medina, some nether Saudi Arabia's control.  

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This week's drills came aft Iran conducted naval drills pinch Russia and Oman successful nan Indian Ocean past week, pinch Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand participating arsenic observers to nan drills. 

In Yemen, a Saudi-led conjugation has been fighting nan Iran-backed Houthis since 2015. The U.S. has stepped up its strikes connected Houthi postures successful Yemen successful caller weeks, aft Houthis person terrorized shipping lanes successful nan Red Sea complete nan past year. 

The original outline of a Saudi normalization woody pinch Israel paid small heed to nan Palestinian cause. Now, arsenic Saudi Arabia has demanded a ceasefire successful Israel’s warfare pinch Hamas, nan kingdom insists that it will not normalize relations pinch Israel without a Palestinian authorities pinch eastbound Jerusalem arsenic its capital. 

President Joe Biden's squad had been moving connected a Saudi-Israeli normalization woody erstwhile Hamas launched its onslaught connected Oct. 7. Many judge nan onslaught was intended chiefly to thwart efforts to unafraid specified a deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that he tin nail down negotiations pinch Riyadh – but not until aft nan statesmanlike election. 

His U.S. friends who helped agent the Abraham Accords deals with nan UAE, Bahrain and Morocco person agelong held retired dream too, contempt Israel's bloody offensives to eliminate Hamas successful Gaza and push backmost Hezbollah successful Lebanon.  

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, met pinch Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week.

On Oct. 1, Iran rained down immoderate 200 ballistic missiles connected Tel Aviv. (Credit Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL)

"I’m cautiously optimistic we tin propulsion this off," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Saudi Arabia, Graham argued, mightiness beryllium nan only dream for a post-war Gaza.

"Israel can’t inhabit Gaza," he said. "The only viable solution present for imperishable security, for Israel and stableness and bid is person Saudi Arabia and nan UAE rebuild Gaza and betterment nan [Palestinian Authority] successful a measurement that will springiness amended governance to nan Palestinian people, destruct nan corruption, de-radicalize nan schoolhouse strategy and springiness information buffers to Israel." 

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The subject drills came aft Iran’s overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, traveled to Riyadh earlier this period – wherever he reportedly threatened their lipid accommodation if Israel were to onslaught Iran’s oil. 

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi expert adjacent to nan Saudi royal court, said: "The Iranians person stated: 'If nan Gulf states unfastened up their airspace to Israel, that would beryllium an enactment of war.'"

The Saudis, successful turn, urged nan U.S. to implore Israel to debar striking Iran’s lipid accommodation successful consequence to nan 200 missiles it rained down connected Tel Aviv connected Oct. 1, a U.S. root confirmed to Reuters.