Saudi Arabia Warns Iran: "Stop Meddling In Our Neighborhood!" | Zero Hedge

Saudi Arabia Warns Iran: "Stop Meddling In Our Neighborhood!" | Zero Hedge

In “Mid-East Coup: As Russia Pounds Militant Targets, Iran Readies Ground Invasions While Saudis Panic,” we outlined what we think is likely a close approximation of Moscow and Tehran’s plan for the region. Here is a brief summary of what we said: 

Putin looks to have viewed this as the ultimate geopolitical win-win. That is, Russia gets to i) expand its influence in the Middle East in defiance of Washington and its allies, a move that also helps to protect Russian energy interests and preserves the Mediterranean port at Tartus, and ii) support its allies in Tehran and Damascus thus preserving the counterbalance to the US-Saudi-Qatar alliance. 

Meanwhile, Iran gets to enjoy the support of the Russian military juggernaut on the way to protecting the delicate regional nexus that is the source of Tehran’s Mid-East influence. It is absolutely critical for Iran to keep Assad in power, as the loss of Syria to the West would effectively cut the supply line between Iran and Hezbollah.

The same dynamic is playing out in Iraq. That is, Iran is fighting ISIS via various Shiite militias just as it’s fighting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen via the Shia Houthis. It is thus extremely significant that Baghdad has agreed to share intelligence with Syria and Russia, as that effectively means the Iran-backed Shiite militias battling for control of Iraq will enjoy the support of the Russian military. 

This is nothing short of a Middle Eastern coup, as Iran looks to displace Saudi Arabia as the regional power broker and as Russia looks to supplant the US as the superpower puppet master. 

Do not expect Saudi Arabia and Israel to remain on the sidelines here.

Make no mistake, the stakes couldn't be higher for Riyadh. Assad's ouster would have removed a key Iranian ally and cut off Tehran from Hezbollah.

Not only would that outcome pave the way for deals like the Qatar-Turkey natural gas line, it would also cement Sunni control over the region on the way to dissuading Tehran at a time when the lifting of crippling economic sanctions is set to allow the Iranians to shed the pariah state label and return to the international stage not only in terms of energy exports, but in terms of diplomacy as well.

Just about the last thing Riyadh wants to see ahead of Iran's resurgence, is a powergrab on the doorstep of the Arabian peninsula. 

The situation is made worse by what's going on in Yemen. The Houthis are backed by the Quds Force which means that the battle between the Saudi-led coalition that also includes Qatar and the UAE, is simply another manifestation of Riyadh attempting to rid the area of Tehran's influence. Here's a clip which purports to show the Saudi-led coalition bombing the Houthis:

Cont.....