Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict could hurt Obama efforts to end Syria civil war

Beneath this weekend’s rupture in Iranian-Saudi relations lies a deeper fault line between the United States and Saudi Arabia that may hamper U.S. President Barack Obama’s efforts to end Syria’s civil war, current and former U.S. officials said.

 

The Saudi government’s decision to execute Shi’ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday, despite U.S. warnings, illustrated the limits of U.S. influence over the kingdom.

 

And the Saudi decision to cut diplomatic ties to Iran after outraged Iranian protesters entered, and set fire to, the Saudi embassy in Tehran, runs directly counter to U.S. efforts to promote contact between the two nations, particularly on Syria.

 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s longshot effort to bring the nearly five-year Syria civil war to an end may be the first casualty of the latest tensions.

 

Read More: Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict could hurt Obama efforts to end Syria civil war – Business Insider