Middle East
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani speaks during a press conference in Tehran on December 5, 2022. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday warned that the normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel would not benefit peace and security in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters in his weekly press conference, Nasser Kanaani said that strengthening Israel’s position in the region “has been America’s priority for many years,” adding that a warming up of ties with Riyadh would not benefit the region, according to state-run IRNA.
The normalization of ties with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords is a US-led joint Middle East peace initiative. Four countries - the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Bahrain, and Morocco - normalized ties with Israel in 2020, supported by America. At the time, Saudi Arabia was expected to follow suit but Riyadh has remained firm on its position that normalization is conditional on concessions being given to the Palestinians.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has reached a rapprochement with traditional regional foe Iran, with both countries restoring diplomatic ties in June after a seven year hiatus. Riyadh’s warming up of ties with Tehran is likely an obstacle to a potential normalization with Israel.
The possibility of a Saudi-Israeli normalization resurfaced over the past two months. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah last week, with US President Joe Biden saying “there’s a rapprochement maybe under way.”
This comes amid a flare-up of violence in Palestine, making Israeli concessions to Saudi Arabia unlikely at the time.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war consisting of long-running covert attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as sabotage and cyber-attacks. Israel views Iran has one of the main threats to its national security and has been vocal in its strong opposition of the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
The Abraham Accords initially began as an Israeli attempt for regional support against the threats posed by Iran and Iranian-backed proxies such as Hezbollah.
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