Block 6
For the past decade, Iran has been working to become a hegemon in the Middle Eastern region, competing with Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia along with other smaller U.S allies in the area, and has been working on creating a snare around each of the countries listed minus Turkey. Visible in Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Gaza Strip, Palestine, and Yemen, it can be seen if linking Iran with each of the countries listed, there is an obvious pattern linking a “Connect the dots” type image. This action, of course, is not making the Saudis, nor Israelis happy. This deal, Iran stating it would let off the gas with its progression in isolating Saudi Arabia, this of course is geopolitically a possibly dumb move if it goes through, but it will ease tensions with Saudi Arabia, an oil money power, if Iran shows eased isolation.
Sifting through the information given by the article, there are a few points which are worth being brought up. First being Iran stating it will ease its regional isolation of Saudi Arabia, by means of no longer encouraging Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia which has been a serious problem in the past with Houthi drone and missile strikes on Saudi territory. Although pretty on the outside, this statement is illogical if assuming a viewpoint of an Iran that wants to control the Middle East. This is so, as to control the Middle East, you will want to control a good portion of the Arabian peninsula, which the majority of the peninsula is taken up by Saudi Arabia, and for Iran to wedge itself/proxies in between Israel and Saudi Arabia is impossible as Jordan is very much a U.S ally, and has been stable for a long time, especially since the marriage of the King of Jordan and U.S born Princess Muna. This would mean it is essential to wear down Saudi Arabia rather than try to ally with them for a long period of time if Iran is to grow south. Another point to the article is the fact that Iran hasn’t promised attacks will stop, just stating that they will not encourage the attacks, which of course is deniable in the future. So pulling together the information given, there are several concerns to be had as to how Iran is planning its future and how it will attempt to further its progress to become a regional hegemon, as a result of the of the statements given.
Connecting this article to topics/theories learned in class, it is geopolitically a play from Iran to better relations with Saudi Arabia. Showing Iran, if goes through with this, will for sure be playing a longer game, and use the better relations in some way. These relations of course, needing to break in order for Iran to become a regional hegemon in the future, which already has Saudi Arabia and the U.S uncertain as to what Iran is planning on doing, as to slow down its gambit in the Arabian peninsula, is to pause/stall its plans to spread its territories, possibly waiting for its weapons research and development to catch up with the curve with its nuclear weapons, and in general weapons used to kill preferably large amounts of people as they will need those types of weapons to spread throughout the middle east and beat resistance.