Saudi Arabia and Iran — and, in fact, all members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) — are united on issues pertaining to protecting the divinity of Sharia and the advancement of the Islamic ummah, such as the OIC’s collective resistance against Qur’an burnings and support for the Palestinian resistance (jihad) against the state of Israel. But there are many other rifts; the divisions between Sunni and Shia run deep and the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been widely known. Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations in a China-brokered deal in March, but now a dispute over a gas field in the Persian Gulf that is estimated to have reserves of “around 310 million barrels of oil and 20 trillion cubic feet of gas,” is challenging the relationship. Adding to the dispute, according to Iran International:
Iran’s close ally Russia has also sided with Arab states of the Persian Gulf in another contentious issue: the sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, which the United Arab Emirates claims sovereignty over.
China’s brokering of the rapprochement in March, put China at a distinct advantage in global leadership, while the unity between Saudi Arabia and Iran appeared to be a huge victory for the unity of the Islamic ummah. Thus it was a strengthening of the red-green axis. The perfect picture has weaknesses, however, that will continue to arise whenever there is competition over dominance.
“Saudi-Iranian rapprochement challenged by dispute over offshore gas field,” Associated Press, July 31, 2023:
An escalating dispute over a gas field in the Persian Gulf poses an early challenge to a Chinese-brokered agreement to reconcile regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Arabia and neighboring Kuwait jointly claim the offshore Al-Durra gas field. Iran says it has rights to the field, which it refers to as Arash. The two sides held talks in Iran in March but were unable to agree on a border demarcation.
Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, says today that it will not tolerate any infringement on its rights, echoing remarks by the country’s oil minister the previous day. Last week, Kuwait’s oil minister told Sky News Arabia that his country would commence drilling and production without waiting for a deal.
Saudi Arabia has sided with Kuwait….
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I might have been sympathetic to Saudi claims until recently. However, if Kuwait is one of the disputing parties, then I’ll not just treat it as another Alien vs Predator scenario, but go w/ Iran on this one. After all, Kuwait is one country that’s just one step short of Qatar in still clinging on to jihadist tendencies even when the Saudis, Emiratis & Bahreinis were more relaxed. They’ve been opponents of Israel short of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood (which would have attracted Riyadh’s ire) even during the Abraham Accords, they’ve said that they wouldn’t develop hostilities towards Iran (partly understandable given their proximity) and they also took Pakistan’s side against India in various disputes. That’s one country which to this day, I believe we made a mistake in rescuing in 1991 (despite the fact that they paid us in full for our efforts)
Otoh, it is funny to see the Chinese agreement b/w these 2 countries collapse that quickly. None of these 3 have a shortage of gas, so there is no reason for such a dispute, but there they are. Since Russia has decided to throw its lot w/ the Arabs, given that there are far more – and richer – Arab countries than there is Iran, the latter is SOL. I wonder whether China thinks it can afford to lose Iran, although for Iran, there are no takers. Wonder whether realpolitik will get Iran to fix things w/ Israel and the US?
Kepha says
If the USA continues to push the perv agenda, it will only make China look better in the eyes of much of the world. Further, Saudi Arabia clearly told the USA that it had other options. But, if the China-brokered deal collapses, it won’t be that much of a surprise. China has stepped into a snake pit, and, like the UK, USA, and Russia before it, will get bitten.