Saudi-Iran crisis a rebuke for US policy

Washington’s single-minded pursuit of the Iran nuclear deal damaged its alliance with Saudi Arabia, experts say, and fed the escalating crisis in the Gulf.

 

The United States failed to manage its traditional Sunni Arab allies in the region while it reached out to mend ties with their bitter Shiite foes in Tehran.

 

As a result, experts warn, Washington has suffered a loss of influence at a time when it needs to implement the nuclear accord and work with both Tehran and Riyadh to end the Syrian war.

 

“I think the administration has had a one-eyed policy on this,” Salman Shaikh, founder and CEO of regional consultancy the Shaikh Group, told AFP.

 

Shaikh said he and others had warned US officials “at the highest level” that its focus on Iran had hurt its traditionally warm relationship with Riyadh.

 

“As a result we’re now seeing a fairly serious balance of power struggle being played out between the two main protagonists in the region,” he said.

 

Secretary of State John Kerry called senior Iranian and Saudi counterparts on Monday to seek to deescalate the crisis that came to a head when Riyadh marked the New Year by executing a respected Shiite cleric.

 

“We hope it’s not irreparable,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said, of Riyadh’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.

 

Read More: Saudi-Iran crisis a rebuke for US policy – Yahoo News