Washington has also laid the groundwork for a settlement of the horrific war in Yemen. Before reaching final agreement to reopen embassies, the Saudis demanded that Iran acknowledge its support for the Houthis and curb their attacks. In six negotiating sessions, Iranian and Saudi representatives agreed on a road map for resumption of diplomatic relations, which Saudi Arabia suspended in 2016 to protest Iran’s covert support of Houthi rebels in Yemen. Some sessions were held in Oman, an even closer U.S. Secret Saudi-Iranian talks began two years ago in Baghdad under the sponsorship of then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a U.S. The United States built the road to rapprochement, so to speak, but the Chinese cut the ribbon. They have capitalized on the diligent (and mostly thankless) efforts by the United States to bolster Saudi Arabia and to resist Iranian proxy fighters in Yemen, Iraq and Syria. But as Kissinger notes, “Pressure on Iran will now have to take into account Chinese interests”. Israeli leaders have viewed a preemptive military strike against Iran as a last resort, as Tehran moves ever closer to becoming a nuclear-weapons state. “It has now made a significant move in that direction”.Ĭhina’s growing role also complicates Israel’s decisions. “China has in recent years declared that it needs to be a participant in the creation of the world order”, explains Kissinger. China has claimed a share of that convening power. The United States is no longer the indispensable power in the region - the only country strong or supple enough to broker peace deals. The United States has been trying since 1979 to bend the arc of the Iranian revolution toward stability.īut over the longer run, Beijing’s emergence as a peacemaker “changes the terms of reference in international diplomacy”, Kissinger argues. And if Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to take on the role of restraining Iran and reassuring Saudi Arabia, good luck to him. The de-escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf is good for everyone - in the short run. Nixon were able to play off tensions between Beijing and Moscow in their historic engagement with China. In a comparable way, Kissinger notes, he and President Richard M. “The Saudis are now balancing their security by playing off the U.S. “I see it as a substantial change in the strategic situation in the Middle East”, Kissinger told me during an interview this week. The triangular diplomacy is very similar to the former secretary of state’s own opening to China in 1971. Henry Kissinger must have a sense of deja vu as he watches China broker a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban, left, Chinese senior diplomat Wang Yi, center, and Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing on Saturday.
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