Caleb Smith block 7
Just as Mr. Bailey predicted Saudi Arabia and Iran will not fall into a war instead they will talk it out and try to find common ground. The Saudis know that they have no leverage due to a much weaker military and less manpower. Because of their religious and political differences an amicable agreement is unlikely but still possible. The Americans approve of a deal that could also include Yemen, Syria, and Iraq along with Iran and Saudi Arabia. Each group has a list of requirement with the Saudi’s contingencies being in favor of Iran lessening their impact in Syria and Yemen and withdrawing their support of rebel groups like the Houthis. Another interesting development is that Iraq who is mediating the meetings between the Saudis and Iran was where the attacks originated. While they deny allegations that they were involved it is another layer in the complex situation which is the Middle East.
Both countries leaders seem that they desire to ease tensions, because as Mohammed Bin Salman, “A political and peaceful solution is much better than a military one.”
He also claimed that a war between the two countries could cause the whole global economy to collapse. Saudi Arabia’s main goal is to make it so there not the location of a proxy war between US and Iran. The US was reported to have planned a drone strike against the Iranians, but nothing came to fruition and the tensions between the two countries had appeared to cool until Iran’s latest strike on the Saudi’s. Due to the importance of the Middle East to the world as it pertains to crude oil chances are developed countries would step in if the situation in the Middle East became more hostile. It was said in a press conference that a war in the middle east would become a hotbed of chaos and destruction due to the fact that no country is significantly stronger than any other country. The conflict caused by the Houthi rebels has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis by the UN. The Iraqi prime minister has said that ending the conflict should be one of the main goals of the meeting. While the middle east is a powder keg waiting to explode it seems that the standoff directly after the drone strike is over and hopefully it will lead to political peace in the region.