Saudi Arabia dancing to Israel's tunes
April 9, 2012 - 15:36
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It is no longer a secret that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has joined forces with the United States, Israel and Britain to destabilize Iran. Saudi officials have openly stated their opposition to Iran's access to peaceful nuclear energy and even have boastfully promised to make the crude supply lost through EU sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
The Saudis are officially among the Muslim states that don't recognize the Israeli regime, however their silence on many issues demonstrates the sheik’s tacit approval of much of the foreign policy of the Washington-Tel Aviv axis.
In the Stratfor (a Texas-based global intelligence firm) emails leaked by WikiLeaks and obtained by the Beirut-based Al Akhbar newspaper, it was revealed that Saudi Arabia reached out to Mossad, which assisted the Kingdom with, as Al Akhbar reports, "intelligence collection and advice on Iran".
According to a source quoted in the emails, "Several enterprising Mossad officers, both past and present, are making a bundle selling the Saudis everything from security equipment, intelligence and consultation."
There are also credible reports indicating that Mossad chief has recently visited Saudi Arabia and talked to Saudi officials about possible plans for attacking Iran's nuclear facilities and the role the Arab nation can play in this dangerous anti-Iranian scenario.
As written by Haaretz, "the talks conducted in Saudi Arabia with the head of Israel's espionage agency dealt with Iran and its nuclear program. The account follows a series of recent reports on increasing secret cooperation between Israel and the Saudis, including defense coordination on matters related to possible military action against Iran's nuclear facilities."
Another report by the Times of London revealed that in 2010 and during the course of a Saudi military exercise, air defense system operations were halted for a few hours to rehearse a scenario whereby Israeli fighter planes would cross Saudi Arabian air space en route to Iran.
In retrospect, the Saudi officials have expressively and explicitly denounced Iran's nuclear program and called on the U.S. and its European officials to tighten the noose of economic sanctions around their Muslim neighbor as if they're unaware of the fact that several IAEA and NIE reports have confirmed that does not have an active nuclear weapons programme.
Two years ago, in a joint press conference with his American counterpart, the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saudi al-Faisal said that economic sanctions cannot guarantee that Iran will retreat from its nuclear program and a more effective solution is needed for the "threats posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions."
Al-Faisal described sanctions as a long-term solution and said the perceived threat coming from Iran is more pressing. "We see the issue in the shorter term because we are closer to the threat. We need immediate resolution rather than gradual resolution," he said. The Saudi prince did not specify any short-term resolution, but it seems that his implied option, which he did not rule out, is a military intervention in Iran.
The Saudis are also trying to convince the U.S. and Europe that Iran's nuclear program poses a threat to their security and should be hindered as soon as possible. That's why many U.S. and European officials state in their bilateral meetings with the Saudi officials that a "nuclear-armed Iran" is harmful to the security of the Persian Gulf.
"I understand the Arab world cannot allow that Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the leader of opposition party in the German parliament and former foreign minister in a February meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.
The stance which Riyadh has adopted against Tehran is absolutely in line with the anti-Iranian policies of the Israeli regime. They're dancing to Israel's tune and helping achieve what Tel Aviv desires most: an isolated Iran with a chasm between its government and its people. However, what is clear is that such pressures cannot bring Iranians to their knees and will only unveil the true face of the enemies of this nation. Over the course of three decades since the victory of Islamic revolution, Iran has been constantly the target of enmity and belligerence by the global superpowers and their allies, so the recent antagonistic policies and hostilities of Saudi Arabia are nothing new or surprising.
Kourosh Ziabari is an Iranian freelance journalist and writer.