Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Kuwait, December 1, 2013. (REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee)
In what is perhaps the best example thus far of Riyadh’s recently reassessed foreign policy approach, Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal announced on Tuesday that his government had invited Iran’s foreign minister to visit the kingdom. Al-Faisal’s somewhat surprising remarks definitively underscore the shift in tactics Riyadh has implemented following months of uncharacteristically aggressive diplomacy.
via fanack.com
The first real indication of this shift was last month following the dismissal of Saudi spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan from his position. Bandar’s ouster pointed to the consternation the kingdom’s rulers were feeling over the radical diplomatic tactics — including public admonishments of the Obama administration and the rejection of a highly coveted United Nations Security Council seat — spearheaded by the spy chief. The threat of a Western rapprochement with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s chief regional rival, may have been a powerful motivator in justifying Bandar’s hardball tactics in the first place, however, the strategy appeared to backfire on Riyadh as it began to alienate its Gulf allies, ultimately hamstringing its regional political efforts.
The possibility of a Saudi invitation to Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif would have been inconceivable even a few months ago. But the move should not seen as a sign of the Kingdom’s newfound love for Iran. On the contrary, as the agenda of Wednesday’s upcoming meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) defense ministers makes clear, the kingdom is as serious as ever about countering Iranian regional influence. The change is, again, mainly in the kingdom’s tactical approach to the Iranian issue. Al-Faisal’s statement inviting Zarif is revealing. According to Reuters,
…al-Faisal told a news conference that Zarif had been given an invitation to the kingdom but that despite Iran’s past declarations of a wish to improve ties, the visit had not transpired. He did not say when Riyadh issued the invitation or if Iran had formally responded.
“Any time that (Zarif) sees fit to come, we are willing to receive him. Iran is a neighbour, we have relations with them and we will negotiate with them, we will talk with them,” he said.
Al-Faisal appears to have taken a leaf out of Zarif’s diplomatic playbook here, echoing the minister’s disingenuous solicitation of an invite to Riyadh late last year. By adopting Tehran’s magnanimous posturing around the issue of the bitter rivalry, the Saudis are not just growing more subtle in their diplomatic strategy, but are actually turning Iran’s Gulf charm offensive back around on their Iranian rivals.
As Tehran specifically utilized this strategy to sideline the kingdom, Riyadh’s appropriation of these tactics shows that it is no longer willing to allow its resentment towards Iran’s political maneuvering on the Gulf to diminish its own standing. So while both states will no doubt continue to energetically engage in their geopolitical tug-of-war, expect to see their governments to shift towards a less outwardly confrontational diplomatic posture.
