US-Saudi-Israeli alliance against Iran floundering in crisis: Haaretz
An anti-Iran alliance forged between the leaders of the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia is faltering as each have become overwhelmed by their own dilemmas, Israel's leading daily Haaretz reports.
“The three leaders who have led the anti-Iran line in recent years were each absorbed in his own domestic crisis this week,” Haaretz wrote on Thursday.
The Israeli paper pointed to the recently intensified impeachment inquiry surrounding US President Donald Trump and pre-indictment hearings threatening the tenure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the past week as signs that the two leaders were mired in crisis.
Harretz also highlighted that the “mysterious” death of the long-time personal bodyguard of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud earlier this week had “embarrassed” Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Riyadh faces renewed global criticism on the anniversary of the brutal murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Haaretz wrote.
Numbering other setbacks for Riyadh in the past week, Haartez highlighted a major Yemeni operation in the country’s northern region of Najran against Saudi-led troops.
The operation led to the death of about 200 Saudi-led forces and the capture of another 2,000 troops.
Iran's 'relaxed week'
The article went on to describe Iran’s latest international developments in comparison, claiming that the country had experienced a “relaxed week” despite “pressure of the US sanctions and the country’s economic distress.”
It wrote that “Iranian President Hassan Rohani received an enthusiastic welcome at the United Nations General Assembly in New York” last week, adding that Trump has been “wooing” the Iranian president in order to get a chance to meet with him.
Donald Trump says he has no plans to meet his Iranian counterpart, but he is open to hearing his Persian Gulf peace plan.
The daily added that the developments marked a stark contrast with the Trump administration’s initial rhetoric against Iran, when Washington withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last year and announced a campaign of “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
Also pointing to Riyadh's change in tone towards Iran, the article highlighted that the Saudi crown prince had urged for a “peaceful” solution regarding its tensions with Iran in an interview earlier this week.
The crown prince had stated that a war with Iran would lead to the “total collapse of the global economy.”
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) has warned that war with Iran will entail a “total collapse of the global economy”.
Haaretz said such developments came despite the fact that Washington and Riyadh had both blamed Iran for being behind a major September 14 Yemeni drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil installations, an accusation firmly denied by Tehran.
“Not only did the sophisticated and destructive attack on the Saudi oil facilities last month pass without a military response from Riyadh or Washington, but Saudi Arabia even made it clear that it supported dialogue with Tehran,” it wrote.
The Saudi crown prince had been previously known for his exclusively bellicose rhetoric against Tehran.
In May 2017, the Saudi crown prince had accused Tehran of attempting to dominate the Muslim world. He pledged at the time to take the war “inside Iran.”
END