Iran-inspired tension stifles peace hopes

Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic ties as actions suggest Iran will retain divisive foreign policy

Iranian security protect Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, Iran and it was stormed and torched by protesters. (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

The Gulf states have been looking closely for signs of how Iran will see its place in the Middle East in the aftermath of the nuclear deal. The hope was this might bring Tehran into the fold after decades of isolation and, most importantly, prompt it to change its agenda of fomenting trouble in other countries in the region.

The events of the past few days – first Iran's response to Saudi Arabia executing a Shia cleric among dozens of other Saudi citizens for terrorism offences and then it failing to stop protesters in Tehran from storming the Saudi embassy there – suggest that hopes of a new and more constructive agenda were misplaced.

Even before this, there had been little to suggest a change of approach in Tehran. Iran recently staged missile tests in the Gulf and continues to support the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hizbollah in Lebanon, president Bashar Al Assad in Syria, Shia militants in Bahrain and a divisive regime fostering sectarian tensions in Iraq.

However, such are the benefits to the region of Iran playing a positive rather than destructive role that even faint glimmers of hope had to be fostered in the hope that in time less combative policies might emerge.

This latest dispute has led to Saudi Arabia breaking off diplomatic relations with Iran. It is worth remembering that this is not the first time official relations have been severed. In 1987, during the Iran-Iraq war, some Iranians performing Haj staged a political demonstration and many died in battles with Saudi anti-riot police. Attacks on Gulf embassies in Tehran followed and after Iran attacked ships in the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties until 1991.

One reason why the Gulf states have been trying to discern whether there was going to be a new approach in Tehran is because the sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy are going to be lifted soon as part of the nuclear deal, even though Tehran has failed to fully comply with its side of the pact.

The key question was always whether this new influx of money would be used to fund the same old divisive agenda or whether the benefits of being a full member of the international community would prompt a change of approach. Hope might seem in short supply right now, but anything that can prompt Iran to adopt a more constructive approach should be encouraged.