What is perhaps one of the most important geopolitical shifts in Middle East politics has taken place with Beijing playing the key role of primary mediator. The reestablishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia spells not only a seismic shift in regional politics, but also further elevates China’s role as an emerging global leader. This all taking place whilst Israel is distracted by internal politics and Washington by the larger conflict in Ukraine. A move that appears to have taken both allies by surprise.
Reestablishment of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia has several major implications, both regionally and globally. Trade relations with Saudi Arabia would undermine US sanctions against Iran, and further isolate Israel and the United States in the region, both diplomatically and militarily, as this would rule out the use of Saudi bases and airspace from any future attacks on Iran.
This also paves the way for Saudi Arabia’s BRICS candidacy to move forward, as Iran has previously applied to join the BRICS group, with Saudi Arabia having formally expressed it’s interest as well. Continued rivalry between these nations would have greatly complicated matters as entry into BRICS would have strained other members’ diplomatic relations with both candidates.
Two of the world’s largest oil producers coming together in increased alignment with China will also accelerate the shift away from the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and is a major blow to Washington’s long term interests as oil trade can begin to increasingly occur in alternative currencies.
This rapprochement is also likely to turn heads in Turkiye, where foreign policy interests are increasingly seen to be in the direction of the East, further isolating the United States, which has been rather silent about this even for the time being. However, there is no doubt that resumption of diplomatic tied between Saudi Arabia and Iran has raised alarm bells in Washington, which is likely to mobilise every resource at it’s disposal to sabotage relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, as they have in the past. Whether the newly forged bond will stand the test of time remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is the importance of this relationship in the region and on the global stage, and is a very clear sign that the geopolitical landscape of the world is undergoing major change in a direction that is not favourable to the old, diminishing Unipolar order.
