One row against Iran

After a long maneuvering, a clear line was drawn for the course of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which was evident in a meeting that is said to have brought Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the head of the enemy’s government, Benjamin Netanyahu. , in Neom, under the patronage and presence of the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo. The latter’s visit to the region, a few weeks before the new democratic administration formally assumed its functions, seemed to have a specific objective: to boost the engine of normalization with Israel, to include this time a grand prize that marks the completion of the arc. of typists in parallel with the formation of an “Arab-Israeli alliance” to face the footsteps of Change the status quo. The White House ran after concluding a deal of this weight, or at least consolidating its foundations before Donald Trump left office, signaling an intention to place the Joe Biden administration in the face of a fait accompli that would limit its efforts to bring about changes in American policy, different from those on which the outgoing president laid his foundations. Region.

With the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Sudan joining the “Abraham Accords”, Trump did not neglect his repeated Saudi calls on the need to catch up with printers “at the appropriate time”, while the Godfather of the “Deal of the Century”, Jared Kushner, considered that the accession to the kingdom was “inevitable”. The question, for the moment, revolves around the timing of the movement and the decision to announce the meeting through unofficial channels. Is it time to reveal the secret relationships and pay the prices Trump wanted in exchange for protecting his ally Bin Salman from the predicaments of the Yemen war and the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi? Or is what has come out into the public domain nothing more than an indication to the president-elect of the United States that the trend towards normalization is not tied to an administration per se, and may continue after Trump? The losing American president did not accept the idea of ​​defeat in front of a weak candidate, most of his ambitions focused on reproducing the experience of Barack Obama and his policies, whether internal or external, in a world that no longer resembles him. which was the day he and his president left office. Trump’s insistence on moving forward with the implementation of his policies and setting traps for the next administration, in light of talks about the possibility of launching his presidential campaign for 2024 later this year, is likely to cause a surprise from weight. A surprise that he hopes will handcuff the arrival at the White House, which seeks to revive the Iranian nuclear agreement with the introduction of some amendments in its body. Precisely for this purpose, observers believe that the Bin Salman – Netanyahu – Pompeo encounter will not necessarily lead to direct normalization, but it does come as an indication of showing a unified position against Iran.

Al-Jubeir: I don’t expect a major change in US foreign policy

As for Biden, who seemed welcoming and pleased with the normalization steps of Abu Dhabi and Manama with Tel Aviv, he confirmed, in advance, that his administration will build on what preceded it to include more countries in the path that Trump inaugurated. , and will also work to strengthen and develop these relationships, under the title of “the two-state solution.” “Most of the issue revolves around placing the Biden administration, which adheres to the” Obama legacy, “in the face of a new reality that the Trump administration has established. A reality that it will have to accept, especially since the Dreams of the Republican and Democratic parties are already coming true: Israel is acceptable in the region, while the main Arab states, allies of Washington, flock to normalize with it. These countries see Iran as the only crisis in the world. The Middle East, which needs solidarity and coordination to confront it with an “Arab-Israeli alliance” that fears a return to the policy of appeasement and “linking the conflict.” The administration of the outgoing president wants the next administration to continue its approach towards the file of Iran and continue the “maximum pressure” campaign on him, according to a US official who accompanied Pompeo on his overseas tour. “It is no secret to anyone that the adm The administration has focused, for several years, on this maximum pressure campaign against Iran, “which achieved a” tremendous success “that effectively” deprived the regime of billions of dollars “that, according to the official, would have gone to to the armed groups loyal to Tehran in the Region. This official hopes that “this influence, which the administration has worked hard to obtain, will be exploited with the aim of forcing the Iranians to act like a normal state.” However, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir noted in an interview with CNN on Saturday that the Kingdom deals with the President of the United States “as a friend, whether Republican or Democrat … We have huge interests with the United States, and I don’t expect it. ” That there will be a major change in US foreign policy. “On his farewell tour, Pompeo insisted on addressing the need to combat” the influence of Iran “and warned that” in the coming weeks and months we will impose new sanctions on Iran. ” According to the State Department official, “this administration exists until January 20 and will continue to implement its policies until the end.”
Trump seeks to establish a set of foundations that indicate that all that the new administration can reap is the product of what he himself sowed, and that any “blow” from Biden on “maximum sanctions” or “Abraham agreements” or all Regarding the path of normalization, it will mean that his administration Iran is “favorable” and is ready to turn against Washington’s strategic partners in the region.

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