US approval for Yemen strike is ‘appeasement’ for Iran talks

What Arabic writers say about the Saudi-led ­action. Translated by Abdelhafid Ezzouitni

Both Saudi Arabia and Israel, each for its own reasons, have lobbied hard to prevent any deal at the US-led talks with Iran on its nuclear programme, Oraib Al Rantawi wrote in an opinion piece in the Jordan-based paper Addustour. Both countries, he said, wanted to prevent an agreement that would allow Iran to retain even a restricted nuclear programme.

He said that Saudi Arabia feared Iran’s increased regional role more than a potential nuclear bomb, though he noted that using such a device would be Iran’s “final mistake”. He added that Saudi Arabia too was capable of acquiring a ready-made nuclear weapon from its ally, Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv, he wrote, has often voiced concern about Iran’s regional expansion. It is worried about Iran using a nuclear programme for military purposes. This is why it has tried hard to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

It’s worth noting, he said, that Operation Decisive Storm, the Saudi-led offensive against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, began a few days before the informal deadline set for the end of talks between the P5+1 group and Iran.

According to some reports, Al Rantawi said, America’s support for the Saudi operation is part of its effort to reassure Riyadh about its regional stature in the face of Iran’s expansionism. There was talk of a Saudi-led strike long before the Houthis advanced on Aden and president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi fled Yemen, he added.

One explanation for this is that the United States is trying to mollify one of its biggest allies in the region. The writer said that this support could be seen as the price that Washington has to pay to justify any deal it makes with Iran. Another possible reason could be that the American negotiators at the nuclear talks with Iran in Lausanne, used the Yemen action to exert pressure.

To be sure, Washington knows the possible repercussions that Operation Decisive Storm could have on its antiterror efforts. It gave the green light to the Saudi action although it was aware of possible retribution by terrorist groups, Al Rantawi said.

Officially, the US has urged political dialogue to resolve the conflict in Yemen and has said that it would provide only logistical and intelligence assistance to the Saudi-led coalition.

But if Operation Storm could be seen as American appeasement of Saudi Arabia, what would the US concede to Israel, Al Rantawi asked. Israel, after all, is as vehemently opposed as Saudi to any agreement with Iran. Perhaps Israel’s “reward” from the US would be to help Tel Aviv bury even the concept of a two-state solution to the Palestinian crisis, he suggested.

George Samaan, writing in the London-based daily Al Hayat, argued that Decisive Storm signalled the end of the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the conflict had become a direct face-off. The writer said that Iran played a major part in the Houthi rebels’ coup against Mr Hadi and, by extension, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative and the terms of the National Dialogue Conference. The Houthis were seeking to seize all of Yemen so that Saudi Arabia would become “encircled by Iran”.

Samaan said that Iranian officials had gone so far as to boast of their influence in four Arab capitals – Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus and Sanaa – and that this had had an impact on GCC and wider Arab security. Arab concern has been compounded by America’s silence as the nuclear talks with Iran neared the deadline (though they were extended). In trying to avoid any impact on its dialogue with Tehran, Washington had long turned a blind eye to Iran’s regional policies, the writer argued.

Now, after the Saudi-led campaign, will Iran strike back and, if so, where? Or will it rethink its policies and opt for a more pragmatic approach?

Iran is likely to throw its weight around with the Houthis, Samaan said. But unlike Syria, Iran has no direct borders with Yemen. And a war of attrition would be costly for Iran, because Yemen’s coastline and air space are now under the control of the Arab anti-Houthi alliance

The writer noted that a large number of Muslim countries – including Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Pakistan – had joined the Saudi campaign and that any direct confrontation could lead to Tehran’s further isolation in the Muslim world. Even Turkey, which has not been on good terms with some of the countries in the alliance, has supported the campaign, he concluded.