Saudi Diplomat Accuses Iran Of Playing 'Games' As Sides Hold Talks To Repair Ties
Saudi Arabia’s UN envoy Abdallah al-Mouallimi: "We are not interested in talks for the sake of talks." (file photo)
Saudi Arabia and Iran have held a new round of talks aimed at mending badly strained ties, the Jordanian state news agency reported on December 13, as the Saudi envoy to the United Nations accused Tehran of playing "games" in its dialogue with Riyadh.
Shi’ite-led Iran and Sunni-controlled Saudi Arabia are bitter rivals in the struggle for influence in the Middle East and support allies in proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, and elsewhere.
The two Muslim-majority nations cut diplomatic relations in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following Riyadh’s execution of a Shi’ite cleric.
The Saudi kingdom has described the direct discussions launched earlier this year with Tehran as cordial but exploratory, while an Iranian official in October said they had gone a "good distance."
Invisible War: On The Front Lines In Yemen
1/13A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government looks toward Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen's western province of Hodeida on November 21. The photo is one of several recent pictures captured by photojournalists showing the front lines of the conflict raging today in western Yemen.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
2/13Pro-government fighters in Hodeida on November 21. The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing since 2014, and is largely seen as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
3/13Huthi fighters walk to the front line in the Al-Jubah district of Yemen's Marib Province. The Huthi are a movement that was formed in the 1990s from Yemen's Shi'a religious minority.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
4/13Huthi in Marib. The group was initially born out of opposition to the influence of neighboring Saudi Arabia on the religious landscape of Yemen, but later widened its claimed mission to include promises of better governance over the impoverished Arab country.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
5/13A shell bursts on a mountainside during fighting between fighters loyal to Yemen's government and Huthi fighters. After the "Arab Spring" protests that swept much of the Middle East in 2011, Huthi militias began to seize control of territory in Yemen and in 2015 they overthrew the country's president to seize the capital, Sanaa.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
6/13A mass funeral for Huthi rebel fighters killed in battles with Saudi-backed government troops in the Marib region. Huthis have become notorious for their identifying "scream" of "death to America, death to Israel, damn the Jews, victory to Islam." Some Huthi leaders have publicly distanced themselves from the chant.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
7/13Yemeni pro-government forces fighting Huthi rebels on the edge of Marib on November 10. In response to the Huthi takeover, in 2015 Saudi Arabia, along with several other Muslim countries launched a military intervention in Yemen with backing from the the United States and the United Kingdom.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
8/13An arch damaged by fighting on the outskirts of Hodeidah on November 13. The Red Sea port city was captured by Huthi forces this month. Accordingto an AP report, the controversial Saudi-led alliance against the Huthis has worked closely with Al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
9/13Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government load a recoilless rifle in the country's northeastern province of Marib on October 27. While Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's internationally recognized, but embattled government, Iran is widely believed to support the Huthi rebels as part of a quest to increase its influence in the region.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
10/13The scene of a car bomb blast that killed 12 people, including children, near the airport of Aden on October 30. As well as the complex allegiances on either side of the long-running war, the Islamic State group has wreaked havoc on both sides of the conflict with several bomb attacks that have killed hundreds of people.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
11/13A wounded Yemeni boy lies on a hospital stretcher in Taez on October 30. According to UNICEF, Yemen is currently the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with around 21 million people in need of help, including more than 11 million children.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
12/13A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government in Marib. The city is the last remaining stronghold of pro-government forces in the country and a battle for the city is currently under way.
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
13/13Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government in countryside near Marib. Although Tehran has denied involvement, Yemen's foreign minister told the AFP news agency on November 21 that the contested city of Marib "has become one of the most strategic priorities for the Iranian regime and its proxies in the region."
Rare photos from the fighting in Yemen reveal a war -- widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- that is going largely unnoticed in a world gripped by other crises.
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The latest round of talks, held at the level of experts in Amman, ended on December 13 and touched upon confidence-building measures, specifically regarding Iran's nuclear program, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency.
There was no immediate confirmation from Tehran or Riyadh.
But in a video interview published on December 13, Saudi Arabia’s UN envoy Abdallah al-Mouallimi told a Saudi newspaper that no major results had been achieved in the negotiation process.
"We would like to push these discussions toward substantive issues that involve the behavior of the Iranian government in the region," Mouallimi told Arab News.
"But as long as the Iranians continue to play games with these talks, they are not going to go anywhere," he said. "The Iranians take a long-term attitude toward these talks. We are not interested in talks for the sake of talks."
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates' de facto ruler, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, hosted the Israeli prime minister on December 13, with the issue of Iran expected to be on the agenda for their talks.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the U.A.E. the previous day, marking the first time an Israeli prime minister has made an official visit to the Sunni-ruled Persian Gulf state.
The trip comes after a U.S.-mediated formalization of Israeli-Emirati relations was achieved last year and amid intense diplomacy as world powers try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that was hobbled by a U.S. pullout and reimposition of sanctions in 2018.
Israel and Abu Dhabi have long cooperated secretly on security, but they only formalized relations in September 2020.
A statement on state news agency WAM said Sheikh Mohammed voiced hope for "stability in the Middle East" and that Bennet's visit would "advance the relationship of cooperation toward more positive steps in the interests of the people of the two nations and of the region."
The Israel Hayom newspaper, citing unidentified officials, said Bennett was expected to brief Sheikh Mohammed on intelligence regarding Iranian-supplied militias and drones in the region.
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