The Wall Street Journal: Saudi Arabia seeks to reduce tension with Iran, fearing for its economy

Saudi Arabia is quietly seeking to improve its relations with Iran and the rest of the regional enemies, and officials in the kingdom have become more concerned about the risks posed by the conflict to the country's oil-dependent economy.

Benoit Faucon, Thamer Saeed and Warren Stroble said - in the report published by The Wall Street Journal - Riyadh's new interest in improving its relations with regional competitors comes at a time when Saudi officials question the amount of support the kingdom receives from the United States and other allies.

In fact, Saudi Arabia's accounts changed after the missile attack that targeted two Aramco facilities using a drone, as it blamed Tehran and held it responsible.

Temporarily, this strike, which occurred last September, disrupted a large part of the country's crude oil production. Although Washington did not respond to Iran after this attack, it sent its forces to strengthen Saudi defenses.

Mutual messages
The authors stated that the representatives of Saudi Arabia and Iran exchanged messages directly in recent months, and they communicated through intermediaries in Oman, Kuwait and Pakistan, according to Saudi, European and American officials.

These officials stated that the main significance of these contacts is to ease tensions between Riyadh and Tehran.

According to Iran's ambassador to Paris Bahram Qasimi and other officials, Tehran has presented a peace plan to the Saudis that includes a mutual commitment not to attack and cooperate, which would secure oil exports after a series of attacks on oil tankers.

The book pointed out that this summer, Saudi, Emirati and Japanese oil tankers were attacked near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

And after the United States blamed Iran for the background of those attacks, the October explosions of an Iranian carrier followed, prompting Tehran to blame a foreign government that did not name it. Generally speaking, these incidents resulted in higher shipping costs and forced oil buyers to delay it.

Secret talks
Moreover, Riyadh has held secret talks with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels it has been battling with Yemen for years, according to Arab and US officials. There, the conflict resulted in what the United Nations described as the worst humanitarian crisis.

The Houthi forces began pushing for talks with Saudi Arabia last September, with a unilateral ceasefire proposal. At that point, the Saudis responded with a partial ceasefire on their part.

In this regard, a senior US official said, "Realist politics have begun, as the Saudis have realized that they must alleviate the challenges they face on multiple fronts."

On his part, Qasimi said in an interview conducted on October 30 last year, commenting on consultations with Saudi Arabia, "We seek peace", but it was not reached.

The article cited dwindling support for Saudi Arabia in major world capitals, especially Washington, where lawmakers from both sides want to see Riyadh end the Yemen war and punish those responsible for the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Frequently asked questions
For its part, Riyadh faces renewed questions from US lawmakers about whether it remains a reliable ally after a Saudi Air Force trainer killed three US sailors last week at a military base in Florida.

The article said that Saudi communication also comes at a pivotal time for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is trying to reshape the kingdom's economy.

Aramco's initial public offer, which started on Wednesday, is an incentive to raise funds for real estate, tourism and technology projects in the kingdom.

But after the attack on Aramco, concerns grew about the security of the company's assets. Moreover, the possibility of a wider conflict with Iran will expose Saudi oil exports to risk, as it risks spreading fear in the hearts of foreign investors about the Kingdom's needs of new capital, modern technology and administrative knowledge.

In contrast, other players in the region, including the UAE, are skeptical of Riyadh's engagement with Iran. US officials have also publicly warned that Iran may be planning a new offensive in the region.

Stop the attacks
In this regard, a Saudi official said that his country "does not trust the Iranians." On the other hand, Riyadh hopes that it can at least "reach an agreement to stop possible future attacks."

In turn, there were signs of interest in the conflict by Tehran, which was hard hit by the "extreme pressure" campaign launched by President Donald Trump's administration by imposing more economic sanctions on it.

Despite years of hostility, Iranian officials have previously considered that there is hope for mediation with Saudi Arabia by using its own relationship with Washington to end sanctions rather than encourage them.

The article concluded that while Iranian moderates have supported rapprochement with regional powers, conservatives see a strong security role in the region as a precondition for maintaining Iran's influence beyond its borders.

In Yemen, the Saudis and Emiratis face a struggle to persuade the Houthi movement and the government, internationally backed by President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, to share power.

The writers mentioned that Riyadh is trying to find a way to end the two-year deadlock with (Qatar) its small Gulf neighbor. It is worth noting that Riyadh, in addition to ten of its allies, suddenly cut diplomatic ties with Doha in 2017 after being accused of supporting terrorism.