A senior Russian diplomat applauded a change for the better in the hostile approach of some Persian Gulf Arab states toward the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying they seem to have backtracked on their endorsement of the US withdrawal from the accord and are instead calling for its revival.
In a tweet, Mikhail Ulyanov reacted to the outcome of a recent round of talks between the United States and members of the (Persian Gulf) Cooperation Council in the Saudi capital Riyadh, which focused on Iran.
Following the Riyadh talks, Washington and its Persian Gulf Arab allies—Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—issued a joint statement on Iran-related topics, including the nuclear deal and the upcoming negotiations in Vienna.
The statement said the US and (P)GCC member states “welcomed” the upcoming seventh round of negotiations in Vienna on the fate of the deal, officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The two sides called for “an urgent mutual return to full compliance with the JCPOA, that would help pave the way for inclusive diplomatic efforts to address all issues that are necessary to ensure sustainable safety, security, and prosperity in the region.”
Policy Shift
The call indicated a shift in the policy of Saudi Arabia, which was once one of the very few proponents of the decision by then-US president Donald Trump to pull Washington out of the JCPOA in 2018.
In his tweet, Ulyanov welcomed the apparent U-turn in the (P) GCC’s highly-belligerent Iran policy and said, “We observe very positive progress. Not long ago some of these states were against #JCPOA and welcomed the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.”
“Now they demonstrate the ability to draw lessons and revise their position in the light of experience gained. Deserves respect,” the senior Russian diplomat added.
The Saudi kingdom severed ties with Iran in January 2016 after angry protests targeted its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad in the aftermath of Riyadh’s execution of a senior Shia Muslim figure.
With the election of Trump in 2016 and the ensuing rise of Iran hawks to power in Washington, Riyadh under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi de facto ruler, who had Trump’s firm support, intensified its hostile rhetoric against the Islamic Republic.
However, with a change of administration in the US, and as Riyadh faced more defeats in its bloody coalition war on Yemen, the kingdom chose to soften its Iran policy. Iran and Saudi Arabia are now involved in a diplomatic process aimed at narrowing down their differences and restoring ties.
Amid widespread reports of intense lobbying and pressure on the part of America’s closest Middle East allies, namely Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Trump decided to pull the US out of the JCPOA despite Iran’s full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the UN nuclear agency, a move that triggered international criticism.
The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign of economic pressure against Iran, which was likewise cheered by the same US allies.
The US administration of Joe Biden has said it is willing to rejoin the deal, but it has shown an overriding propensity for maintaining some of the sanctions as a tool of pressure. Tehran insists that all sanctions should first be removed in a verifiable manner before it reverses its remedial measures.
