Negotiations between Iran and world powers to revive the nuclear deal have turned into a lengthy and fraught process, with no tangible results thus far. Robert Malley, the US envoy for Iran, recently declared that the Biden administration was not going to “waste time” on trying to revive the deal while Tehran was cracking down on protesters at home and supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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“Sustainable peace and security require good bilateral relations and regional cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh. Iran and Saudi Arabia have significant differences, but they share common interests in many critical issues, such as energy security, nuclear nonproliferation, and Middle East stability.”
It’s Time for the Leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran to Talk; Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Abdulaziz Sager, May 14, 2019. New York Times.
“With tensions between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia at the brink, a rare dialogue recently took place between two former senior Saudi and Iranian officials. Hosted by the Center for Strategic Studies at the Joint Special Operations University in Tampa, Florida, former Saudi Ambassador to the United States and Director General of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency Prince Turki al Faisal debated Ambassador Hossein Mousavian, a former spokesman for Iran’s nuclear negotiators and chairman of the foreign policy committee of Iran’s National Security Council. The lively discussion touched on each country’s view of its security environment and the broader issues affecting the Iran-Saudi relationship. LobeLog has obtained the full transcript of the conversation, and the following is an abbreviated excerpt covering the key points.”
“A Saudi-Iranian Dialogue On Regional Security,” Seyed Hossein Mousavian, LobeLog, April 23, 2018.
Recalling his 1996 meeting with King Fahd, Mousavian told Al Jazeera the Saudi monarch was “happy to build bilateral relations” with Iran, but was “very disappointed” that Iraq could not join the alliance, in the aftermath of the first Gulf War.
“The accords secured amicable ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia for the next decade,” Mousavian said, pointing to increased cooperation in security and trade between the regional rivals.
“Iran and Saudi Arabia ‘unlikely’ to pivot back to diplomacy,” Ted Regencia, Al Jazeera English, April 16, 2018.
“With European diplomatic backing, the Yemen conflict can be the beginning of dialogue and de-escalation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The template for a political solution both sides can agree on already exists; it would be the same formula that was successfully implemented in Afghanistan and Iraq. The critical factor that allowed the post-war governments of these countries to stabilize was the major outside players, mostly significantly Iran and the United States, agreeing upfront on a general end-state, and then allowing the details to be hashed out by the relevant parties.”
“Yemen Heralds Potential Breakthrough for Iran-Saudi Relations,” Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Frankfurter Allgemeine, February 26, 2018.
“In order to decrease tensions and enter into a process of cooperation, Riyadh and Tehran must gain a correct understanding of each other’s national security threats. The cooperation option should entail Riyadh and Tehran to openly and without preconditions enter into bilateral dialogue and put all of their security concerns and aims on the negotiations table.”
“The Widening Saudi–Iran Divide,” Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Cairo Review, Winter 2018.
“In recent meetings with Iranian officials, I have consistently heard the same refrain: that with regime change the name of the game in Washington, the Trump White House wishes to eliminate Iran’s missile capacity and defensive capabilities simultaneous with scuttling the JCPOA and re-imposing nuclear sanctions, all to prepare the grounds for a military attack on Iran. The Europeans, meanwhile, are viewed as playing the ‘good cop’ to America’s ‘bad cop’ in pushing for missile negotiations.”
“Missile Dialogue Between Iran And The West,” Seyed Hossein Mousavian, LobeLog, January 29, 2018.
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) is steadily consolidating power in Riyadh and positioning himself to become the most powerful ruler in Saudi history. His rise has been accompanied with a ratcheting up of hostilities against Iran and even war rhetoric. As Saudi-Iran tensions increase, the lived experiences and leadership styles of the 78-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 32-year-old MBS will decide the future of peace and stability in the region.”
“Contrasting Leadership Styles In The Saudi-Iran Conflict,” Seyed Hossein Mousavian, LobeLog, January 4, 2018.
Syndicated:
“The Iranians, always they have shown readiness,” said Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat who worked on engaging the Saudis. “During the late King Abdullah’s era, Riyadh was ready to hear what the Iranians say, but no more in [current King] Salman’s era.”
“Inside The Real (And Really Secret) Middle East Peace Process,” The Huffington Post, December 8, 2017.
“The ties between Tel Aviv and the White House, and the current situation of the Zionist lobby – during Trump’s presidency- is so that it seems this is only the Tel Aviv that has the final say about Iran, the Middle East and the peace process. The coalition’s plan is to first cut the tale of the snake (Iran’s regional leverage) and then the head of the snake (Iran’s power).”
“Behind the scene of Trump’s recognition of Quds as Israeli capital,” Hossein Mousavian, IRNA, December 9, 2017.
