Question:
A joint Saudi-Iranian-Chinese statement was issued on 10/3/2023 about reaching an agreement to resume relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and to open embassies within two months. To confirm the agreement, the Saudi king, on 19/3/2023, invited the Iranian president to visit Saudi Arabia. The talks were hosted and sponsored by China. The American position on the agreement was positive and welcoming. While the Jewish entity showed great annoyance from it. Why did China play this role, who pushed it to do so, and what is its interest in that? Why didn’t America itself play this role, is it against its interests or was it done for its interests? And why all this annoyance from the Jewish entity regarding the agreement? Jazak Allah khair.
Answer:
In order to clarify the answer to the above questions, we review the following:
1- On 10/3/2023, the Saudi News Agency (SPA) published the joint statement that was reached between Saudi Arabia and Iran, stating that “the two sides agreed to resume diplomatic relations between them and reopen their embassies and representations within a maximum period of two months.” They agreed to “respect the sovereignty of states, not to interfere in their internal affairs, to activate the security cooperation signed between them in 2001, and to activate the general agreement for cooperation in the field of economy, trade, investment, technology, science, culture, sports and youth signed in 1998. The agreement included holding a meeting of the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers to activate these steps and arrange an exchange of Ambassadors and discuss ways to strengthen relations between them”.
The joint statement also stated, “Saudi Arabia and Iran thank Iraq and Oman for hosting the talks between the two parties in the years 2021-2022.” In order to strengthen and document the agreement, Mohammad Jamshidi, the political assistant to the Iranian president, announced on his Twitter account on 19/3/2023 that “In a letter to President Raisi … the King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal between the two brotherly countries [and] invited him to Riyadh” Hossein Abdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister, said, “During the past ten days, we exchanged messages through Switzerland, and one of those messages announced Iran’s readiness to attend a meeting of foreign ministers and proposed three locations for this meeting.” He referred to the way in which the agreement was reached, saying, “Tehran and Riyadh participated in five rounds of talks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and three rounds in the Omani capital, Muscat.” Then the Chinese president took the decision to put forward an initiative to push this process forward, which resulted in the result that you know.” He was asked about Yemen, he said: “We consider it a matter of the Yemeni people. Of course, the focus on peace in the region was part of the agreements concluded between Iran and Riyadh.” (Iranian Tasnim Agency, 19/3/2023). However, the Wall Street Journal quoted US and Saudi officials as saying, “Iran has agreed to halt covert weapons shipments to its Houthi allies in Yemen as part of a China-brokered deal to re-establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.” (BBC,19/3/2023). The official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) had stated on 11/3/2023 that “The reconciliation will accelerate the cease-fire and help start a national dialogue and form an inclusive national government in Yemen.” Then, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said, “We hope that Saudi Arabia and Iran’s agreement will form a serious stage of relations in the region that will end Tehran’s interference in the affairs of the countries of the region.” (Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, 17/3/2023). Thus, it becomes clear that the talks have matured in Iraq and Oman from before, during the two years 2021-2022, but the signing did not take place in either of the two countries, but rather Beijing was the place of the signing!
2- Accordingly, the joint statement also stated, Discussions took place between the delegations of Saudi Arabia and Iran from March 6 to 10, 2023 in Beijing, “The Kingdom’s leadership welcomes the initiative of His Excellency President Xi Jinping, based on the Kingdom’s consistent and continuous approach since its establishment in adhering to the principles of good neighborliness, taking everything that would enhance security and stability in the region and the world, and adopting the principle of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences.” China considers both Saudi Arabia and Iran its first trading partner, as it established a comprehensive strategic partnership with each of them, as it signed such an agreement with Saudi Arabia in December 2022 and signed a 25-year trade and strategic cooperation agreement with Iran in 2020.
Hence, one can assume that China has influence on the two countries and that it can impose the agreement on them. However, this is not the case, as China has no influence or powers in the Middle East, it does not have a history in it and in international mediations, and it is mediating for the first time between two countries in the Middle East. It is understood from the statement that Saudi Arabia and Iran are the ones who asked China to mediate between them (in their desire to resolve differences through dialogue and diplomacy), as stated in the statement explicitly! The talks between them had matured in the past two years, since April 2021, when Iraq hosted the first rounds of talks between them during the term of the former Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, affiliated with America, who had good relations with the two parties. Then Oman hosted other rounds, so it was possible to announce the agreement either in Iraq or in Oman, but it happened in China!
3- As for why this happened, it seems that America, through deceit, has given the role to China to complete the reconciliation and announce the agreement after the talks matured in Baghdad and Muscat for the following reasons:
a- Because America did not establish diplomatic relations with Iran, and also does not want to appear as if it is satisfied with Iran, but rather it appears as if it is in enmity with it, and it does not want to show that Iran follows its orbit and serves it in many policies, as Iranian officials admitted.
b- It wants to do a favour to China, that it has made it take an international action, so the latter becomes delusional and thinks it will become a major country in the world, then America deceives it by using it in certain missions as it used Russia in the issue of Syria and other issues.
c- Insinuating to China that if it wants to become a globally influential country, it must understand and cooperate with it and not with Russia. It uses this temptation as a weapon against it if it starts to violate its policies, depriving it of international influence and besieging it as it did with Russia.
d- America was behind Saudi Arabia and Iran request to China to sponsor and sign this agreement, so that America does not appear that it is managing this agreement directly, but rather shows China is behind it, and America wants by that to hit two goals with one stone:
First: Thwarting the Jews’ plan to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and attacking Iran, and embarrassing America to support the Jews by the action of the American Jewish lobby at a time when America is preoccupied with the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Second: Showing that China is sponsoring this agreement and not America will prevent the Jewish lobby from standing up against Biden during the elections next year, especially since this agreement was a strong blow to the Jewish entity and caused it annoyance. Thus, it appears that America is not behind this agreement, but rather China! This does not give justification to the Jewish lobby to provoke effective electoral moves against Biden, or at least with low effectiveness.
4- As for why the Jewish entity is disturbed by the agreement, it is because it thwarted what this entity was planning. It took place when the prime minister of the Jewish entity, Netanyahu, was visiting Italy and promoting normalization with Saudi Arabia, but he was surprised by the Saudi-Iranian normalization. It shocked him and he has not yet been able to make any statement about the agreement. It was a severe slap in the face. His Foreign Ministry refrained from commenting on the agreement… Jewish analysts considered the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement a slap and a blow to ‘Israel’ and considered it an obstacle to normalization between the Jewish entity and Saudi Arabia, and it is a message to ‘Israel’ that it is not allowed to strike Iran.
‘Israeli’ newspapers and media dealt with the Saudi-Iranian agreement, considering it a blow to ‘Israel’ and an obstacle to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declared aspirations to expand the circle of normalization… The official announcement of an agreement – with Chinese mediation – that paves the way for the resumption of relations between Riyadh and Tehran, was preceded by Netanyahu’s statements from the Italian capital, Rome. In it, he revealed his intention to continue his efforts to achieve his government’s goal of normalizing relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh, by renewing the Hejaz Railway and linking Haifa and Saudi Arabia with the train project across Jordan. (Al Jazeera, 13/3/2023)
The Netanyahu government was betting on normalization with Saudi Arabia, on charging hostility against Iran, confronting Iran and instigating a strike against it, but America rejected all of that. The recent visits of US officials to the Jewish entity were in this category. This is due to the “rebellion” of the Netanyahu government against the American administration led by the Democrats. Netanyahu considered normalization with Saudi Arabia the greatest success for him and his government, as this normalization would be Saudi Arabia’s tacit approval of what the Jews are doing in Palestine and against Iran. We have detailed all of this in an Answer to a Question dated 10/3/2023 under the title “The Objectives of High-Ranking US Military Officials’ Visits to the Jewish Entity.”
Thus, this agreement has caused inconvenience to Netanyahu and considered it a bad thing for his entity [the head of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee in the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein, said: (Iran and Saudi Arabia have now agreed to renew relations between them, and this is “bad for Israel and the entire free world.” (Al-Jazeera, 11/3/2023)]. There is no doubt that Netanyahu knows in his depths that America is behind this agreement, but he also realizes that his entity cannot stand without (a rope (help) from the people) and this rope is America now, that is why he kept silent!
He wanted to visit Washington to discuss these matters, and yet he was refused! It was reported that Netanyahu is exerting this pressure against the backdrop of US President Biden boycotting him, and refusing his invitation so far to visit the White House. As well as rejecting Netanyahu’s repeated requests to visit Washington, which have always been rejected. [And Benjamin Netanyahu has been working for weeks to arrange a visit to Washington, in order to be a guest at the White House, but his repeated requests were rejected. (Al-Masry Al-Youm, 15/3/2023)]. Even one of his ministers lost his temper after Biden’s statements criticizing judicial amendments, and said: “We are not another star in the flag of the United States.” Netanyahu’s office commented, saying: [The Israeli Prime Minister’s office reported that Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the ministers in his government not to comment on the statements of US President Joe Biden, in which he called for abandoning the judicial amendments. … Netanyahu affirmed that Israel’s alliance with the United States is firm and unshakable. (Al-Jazeera 29/3/2023)].
Thus, it becomes clear why the Jews were disturbed by the Saudi-Iranian agreement, and the reason for the silence of the Jewish entity towards Biden’s refusal to visit it.
5- As for America it welcomed the agreement. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “The U.S. is aware of reports that Iran and Saudi Arabia have resumed diplomatic relations, but referred further details to the Saudis,” …”Generally speaking, we welcome any efforts to help end the war in Yemen and deescalate tensions in the Middle East region. This is one of the reasons that prompted President Biden to travel to area over the past summer for talks.” “De-escalation and diplomacy, along with deterrence, are key pillars of the policy that President Biden laid out during his visit to the region last July. Therefore, de-escalating tensions in the Middle East is a priority, and he welcomes that,” she added. (CNN 11/3/2023).
John Kirby, communications coordinator at the US National Security Council, said, “The Saudis did keep us informed about these talks that they were having, just as we keep them informed on our engagements, but we weren’t directly involved.” He said that people are impartial of China’s mediation in the agreement, especially since it is mediation in one crisis and is in line with Washington’s desire in pacifying the Middle East. (Al-Khaleej Online, Al-Jazeera, 11/3/2023). The American official’s statement that America had no role in the agreement contradicts his statement that America was in contact with the Saudis and that China’s role is in line with
America’s desire to calm statuses! He wanted to cover up the American role, but he exposed himself when he contradicted his statements.
On 14/3/2023, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that (the Saudis were in constant contact with the Biden administration “during the talks and the agreement with Iran” and he said, “Washington considers it a positive agreement to stop the escalation in the region, it came with Chinese mediation because US-Iranian relations are not in good standing that allows the Americans to mediate to resolve the dispute” (Al-Khaleej Online, 16/3/2023). Likewise, on 16/3/2023, the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel quoted a Saudi official: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia informed its allies, including the United States, before the signing in Beijing on the agreement with Iran”. In addition to what was reported by Al-Khaleej Online on 17/3/2023, which publishes the statements of American officials, that “conversations are taking place behind the scenes of Iraqi politics that the United States is the one that pushed Riyadh to actually accelerate the agreement.”
Indeed, there are Iranian politicians, well-informed, and experts who understand the game. The Iranian Middle East News website quoted 21/3/2023 from the Iranian Fararu website, an interview that the site conducted with Mehdi Moutahir, a professor of political science and expert in the field of foreign policy, as saying: “China’s recent moves in the framework of mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia are linked to the concept of a meeting of world powers… As an analyst, I cannot accept the idea that the Chinese, for example, might take such an individual step without coordinating with the active members of the meeting of world powers with the aim of reducing escalation between Iran and Saudi Arabia”. By active members, he means America, as it is the first actor in the international arena and the main influencer in the Middle East.
All of this confirms that America is the one that wanted this agreement and wanted China to be the mediator, and it is behind Iran and Saudi Arabia’s request to China to sponsor the agreement and sign it.
6- Thus, the countries of the region are exposed and stripped for following the policies drawn for them by America, which holds the reins in them. Whenever America asks its loyalists, whether they are followers or those in its orbit, to come to an understanding and solve the problems between them, they do so by paving the way for that by conducting negotiations. If America asks them to do the opposite through discord or aggression they do so and prepare reasons for it. Otherwise, America would not have been able to do anything in the region. The way to get rid of it comes by overthrowing these regimes, and then work to establish a system that pleases Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, which unites Muslims in one state, namely, the Khilafah system on the method of Prophethood that Allah (swt) promised ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴾ “Allāh has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them” [An-Nur: 55]. And the Prophet (saw) gave its glad-tidings (of its return): «ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ» “Then there will be Khilafah on the method of Prophethood,” then he (saw) was silent. [Extracted by Ahmad].
10 Ramadan 1444 AH
1/4/2023 CE
