DAR AL HARB/ ISLAM - U.S.A./SAUDI ARABIA/IRAN: A U.S. - SAUDI FENCE AROUND IRAN ?!?

A Saudi-U.S. fence around Iran
by Christian Science Monitor

Iran sent a belligerent warning last Friday: It seized 15 British sailors and marines in the Persian Gulf. The hostile move wasn't aimed only at London. It came just before anti-Iran moves by the U.N. Security Council and Sunni Arab nations. The real message? "Don't fence us in."

Tehran's radical Shiite regime faces an unusual partnership of foes opposed to its regional and nuclear ambitions. The United States and Saudi Arabia, either working separately or together, have rallied friends and allies to isolate Iran by adept diplomacy.

...

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia do have differences over how to isolate Iran, such as in bolstering Hamas. But both have an interest in weakening Iran's influence in Iraq and in ending its nuclear ambitions. In fact, Saturday's U.N. resolution goes beyond the nuclear issue to freeze the assets of commanders in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its military unit, the Quds Force, which has ties to militant groups in Iraq and Lebanon.

A bolder Saudi Arabia and a more diplomatic U.S. could make a good team in curbing radical Islamists in the Middle East.


Pertinent Links:

1) A Saudi-U.S. fence around Iran