Taha tweeted, “Knock, knock! Who’s there? The Biden administration! They’ve got a surprise for you: $3 billion dollars transferred to Iran. But hold your chuckles, folks, because it’s not a joke… apparently. They claim it’s for humanitarian cases. Now, the real punchline?”

“They want the Middle East to trust them, while discouraging us from building relationships with Russia and China. Let’s hope the geopolitical comedy show doesn’t leave us all in stitches”, Taha continued.

There is no doubt that the U.S. has a complicated history with Iran. The two countries have been at odds since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, which led to the overthrow of the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran and the establishment of an Islamic Republic. Since then, the U.S. has pursued a policy of economic sanctions and isolation towards Iran, accusing the country of supporting terrorism and pursuing nuclear weapons.

However, the situation in Iran has changed in recent years. The country has been hit hard by economic sanctions, as well as the uprising caused by the custodial death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, which have caused widespread suffering among the Iranian people.

U.S. discourages its allies specially the Saudi Arabia and UAE, from engaging with Iran, Russia, and China. However, with the China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal in March, Saudi Arabia has exuded its autonomous right to execute its choices without American involvement.

Dalia Ziada

The American president’s decision to go back to doing business with Arab leaders is wise and legitimate.

After a successful tour in the Middle East, the American president, Joseph Biden, got quarantined for a period of five days to deal with a COVID-19 infection. Fortunately, he is now recovered and ready to proceed working on the many files sitting on his desk. Yet, first, President Biden may need to handle the media aftermath aroused by the far-left movement around his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and meeting with certain Arab leaders. That is important to guarantee better performance for his Democratic Party candidates in the mid-term elections of the congress, scheduled in November. The far-left activists represent the majority of Biden’s electoral constituency, and their satisfaction with administration’s performance is crucial.

Hither comes an important question about the real reasons behind the far-left exaggerated dissatisfaction with Biden’s outreach to Arab leaders. Their media platforms have been reproving Biden for laughing with the Saudi Crown prince and calling the Egyptian president ‘a valuable friend’ during their meetings in Jeddah, in mid-July. The lack of state respect to human rights and democracy, in these two countries, is introduced as the only reason behind the far-left irritation. The undeclared reason, however, has much to do with the rising influence of the political Islamists on the American leftist activists.

We have not seen, for example, the American pro-left media criticizing Biden administration’s reach out to other Arab monarchies, that also deal with citizens’ civil and human rights as less priority, such as Qatar. On the contrary, when the Qatari prince visited Washington, in January, the media platforms, which described Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia as a ‘betrayal,’ celebrated and applauded Biden-Tamim summit. It is clear that the radar of the leftists turns on only when it comes to certain Arab leaders –Saudi crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman; Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi; and UAE president, Mohammed Bin Zayed.

Why these three Arab leaders in particular? Because they are the ones who had been the most active on chasing and smashing the Muslim Brotherhood group. Following the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, in 2013, several members and sympathizers of the most populous political Islamist group fled to the United States. There, they got welcomed by the political Islamist organizations and activists, who helped them to connect with pro-democracy groups to lobby against ruling regimes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, under the flag of human rights.

Then, under the pressures leveled by the former Trump administration’s rollback on minority rights, especially Muslim immigrants and American Muslims, the political Islamists seized the opportunity to merge into the then quickly rising American far-left movement. Muslim student associations and the young Muslim activists played an important role in this. The majority of the young Muslims in America are second and third generations of immigrant families, who have been born and raised in the United States. They are very active in their ethnic communities and more tolerant, compared to their parents, to the controversial issues of individual freedom that the far-left embraces.

Fast forward to this day, the political Islamists are abusing the electoral power of the American far-left to take revenge on the Egyptian, Saudi, and UAE leaders, by lobbying the U.S. administration against them. Since the early days of Biden’s electoral campaign, the far-left, which is deeply infiltrated by Islamists, have pressured to keep the new U.S. administration aloof to these three Arab leaders, in particular. They, even, lobbied to pressure president Biden to boycott and penalize them, under the flag of standing up for human rights in the Middle East. However, after eighteen months of hesitance, the U.S. leadership realized that its foreign and domestic success is highly dependent on positive engagement by Middle East leaders.  

Finally, U.S. president Biden, and his team, have decided to shake off this unprofitable approach towards the Arabs, especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to focus instead on fruitful collaboration for the good of all. In an opinion article, president Biden explained: “As president, it is my job to keep our country strong and secure … To do these things, we have to engage directly with countries that can impact those outcomes. Saudi Arabia is one of them, and when I meet with Saudi leaders on Friday, my aim will be to strengthen a strategic partnership going forward that’s based on mutual interests and responsibilities, while also holding true to fundamental American values.”

The American president’s decision to go back to doing business with Arab leaders is wise and legitimate. The world is changing and the United States cannot remain on the top, as the most influential superpower, if it chooses to ignore or marginalize a region as important as the Middle East. Biden should expect high waves of criticism every time he engages with one of the aforementioned three Arab leaders, in the coming two years of his first term. Yet, he has to make sure not to let the Islamists indirectly dictate the future of the American nation through deceptive and manipulative interventions with the American far-left movement.

Article first published on The Levant News.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

Energy and security interests prompted Biden and his aides to decide not to isolate the Gulf oil giant that has been strengthening ties with Russia and China.

But the U.S. national security adviser dampened expectations of any immediate oil supply boost to help bring down high costs of gasoline and ease the highest U.S. inflation in four decades.

Biden, who said he would discuss human rights during the visit, was met by Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca province, which includes the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The U.S. president then headed to the royal palace where Saudi TV showed him fist-bumping the crown prince, known as MbS. State news agency SPA later published a photo of Biden shaking hands with King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

At the start of Biden’s Middle East trip, officials said he would avoid close contacts, such as shaking hands, as a precaution against COVID-19. But the president ended up engaging in hand-shaking during the Israel leg of the tour. 

After meeting the king, Biden and his team began a working session with MbS and Saudi ministers.

Typically, the White House releases names ahead of landing of foreign officials who will welcome the president, but this time details only came out after Biden left the airport.

When former U.S. President Donald Trump, who enjoyed close ties with MbS, visited Saudi Arabia in 2017 he was met by King Salman, who has made few recent public appearances. The Mecca governor met France’s president when he visited Jeddah late last year.

The sensitive visit will be closely watched for body language and rhetoric and will test Biden’s ability to reset relations with the crown prince, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.

Biden wants to “recalibrate” Washington’s relations with Saudi Arabia and not rupture them, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan stressed.

The U.S. president said on Thursday his position on Khashoggi’s murder was “absolutely” clear. Biden made his “pariah” comment less than two years ago after the journalist’s killing and while campaigning for president. 

Biden said he would raise human rights in Saudi Arabia, but he did not say specifically if he would broach the Khashoggi murder with its leaders.

Saudi ambassador to Washington Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who was part of the Saudi greeting party, reiterated in an article for Politico the kingdom’s “abhorrence” of the killing, describing it as a gruesome atrocity, and said it cannot define U.S.-Saudi ties.

She said the relationship should also not be seen in the “outdated and reductionist” oil-for-security paradigm.

“The world has changed and the existential dangers facing us all, including food and energy security and climate change, cannot be resolved without an effective U.S.-Saudi alliance.”

No Immediate Oil Boost

Jeddah hosts a larger gathering of Arab leaders on Saturday.

Biden will discuss energy security with leaders of Gulf oil producers and hopes to see more action by OPEC+ to boost output, but there were unlikely to be any bilateral announcements from the talks, Sullivan told reporters en route to Jeddah.

“We believe any further action taken to ensure that there is sufficient energy to protect the health of the global economy, it will be done in the context of OPEC+,” said Sullivan. “We are hopeful that we will see additional actions by OPEC+ in coming weeks.”

The OPEC+ group that includes Russia meets next on Aug. 3.

Biden will also encourage peace and press for a more integrated Middle East during his trip, an administration official said. Topics include strengthening a truce in Yemen, “balance” in energy markets and technological cooperation in 5G and 6G.

Ahead of the visit, Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in what Biden described as a historic and important step towards building a more integrated and stable Middle East. 

Biden was the first American president to fly from Israel directly to Jeddah, a step the White House says represents a “small symbol” of warming Israeli-Saudi ties.

The U.S.-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords established a new axis in the region, where Gulf states share Israel’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear and missiles programmes and proxy network.

The Saudi ambassador said U.S.-Saudi efforts to ensure peace and security should focus on enhancing cooperation and “reinforcing a rules-based system” to confront the “vision of chaos promoted by Iran”.

During his visit to Israel, Biden and Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear weapons, which the Islamic Republic denies seeking. 

Why is Aljabri jabbering to “60 Minutes” now?

Former Saudi “spymaster” Saad Aljabri chatted about psychology and world leadership on CBS’s “60 Minutes” this past Sunday, when most Americans were sleeping late, drinking coffee, getting ready to mow the lawn, put some burgers and ribs on the grill, or heading out to church and back home to put supper on the table.

While Americans were snoozing and sipping coffee and pulling cords on their mowers or making sure they had enough gas in their cars to make it to the big white steeple place and back and also mow the lawn and get the grill hot, all the while running their AC, Aljabri made a televised medical diagnosis he’s notably unqualified to make about the son of the King of Saudi Arabia’s alleged mental state. MBS, Aljabri alleges, “is a psychopath”.

Aljabri is not a doctor, of course. But maybe he’s diagnosing the Crown Prince by way of the adage, “It takes one to know one”.  What reasons might Aljabri have to make this claim?

Oh, about eleven billion of them.  

Or maybe it’s just four billion reasons, or perhaps as low as three—as in billions of U.S. dollars, which Aljabri claims were “generous” gifts that Saudi royals paid to him in the past because he was such an exceptional “spymaster”.  Or perhaps it’s down to a mere $500 million dollars, as Aljabri discussed on 60 Minutes.  Whether $11 billion dollars or a paltry $500 million, Aljabri clearly would like to keep his cash, although much of Aljabri’s cash is no longer cash but instead has been invested by him in things like mansion homes, five-star hotel condominiums, and other hoards.  

After MBS came on to power, the Saudis did some book-keeping and became concerned because a lot of money was missing.  Some of it was traced to Aljabri’s anti-terrorism activities. But how much does it cost to put the moves on Al Qaeda? The Saudis pondered that maybe Aljabri had paid too much to keep the world safe from Al Qaeda, and perhaps had paid himself too much. The Saudis then decided that they would like their $11 billion dollars back, please. Oh, wait—maybe it was only $4 billion, or $3 billion, or that measly $500 million.

Whatever.  I say “Albatasis”, Aljabri says “Potato”, and Canadians say, “French fries” because Canada is the second biggest exporter of French fries in the world—in the world.  I bet that some Canadian French fries are being consumed in Saudi Arabia right now—maybe even at Al Baik!

It’s odd that while Aljabri was so meticulous about taking all those big bucks with him when he left Saudi Arabia, he left behind his two youngest children, Sarah and Omar, like a couple of suitcases he never got around to finish packing. It’s a nightmarish version of that popular movie, “Home Alone”, but with accusations of crimes like money laundering and prison sentences rather than a too-busy, distracted mom taking a large family group on a Christmas vacation to Paris, and then scouring the globe when she realizes that one of her precious children has been left behind, and she will do anything to get him back.

How much are the lives of two children worth? $9 billion?  $4, or $3 billion? $500 million?

Ah, so who is the true psychopath here?

Aljabri told “Sixty Minutes” that MBS sent a “Tiger Squad” to Canada to assassinate him because the Saudis are very, very upset that Aljabri took $11 billion dollars, or maybe just $4, or perhaps $3 billion, or that pittance of $500,000 million when he took off to live, well, somewhere else. 

Canada, it turns out, was receptive to having Spymaster Aljabri permanently residing there when the United States was, well, less so. And while it’s true that the “Tiger Squad” showed up in Canada with some kind of gizmo that can do quickie DNA testing (because the “Tiger Squad” would never want to grab the wrong guy when they’re looking for Aljabri), it’s kind of murky whether the “Tiger Squad” was actually going to chop anyone up into little pieces and then “disappear” them.

Canada doesn’t go for that kind of thing. Canada banned the kiddie show “Power Rangers” because it was “too violent” and of course Canada has a point, as it always does. But Canada’s also not buying into Aljabri’s claims of violent assassins crossing into Canadian Airspace to murder him “like they did to Khashoggi”.  Instead, Canada’s courts are helping the Saudis track down those missing $11 billions. Or maybe it’s only $4 billion, or $3 billion, or a measly half a billion.  Whatever.  

The buck stops at the land of the Maple Leaf beavertail.

And if you don’t know what a beavertail is, then you ain’t Canadian, man!

Actually, it’s a very tasty donut that Canada is justly famous for.

My dream is that, one day, Riyadh’s House of Donuts will serve the inimitable beavertail—along with a cup of truly delicious coffee.

Maybe the “Tiger Squad” that flew to Canada didn’t want to assassinate Aljabri. Maybe they just wanted to talk to him to get Saudi’s $11 billion dollars back, and use the DNA to make sure that they weren’t wasting their time talking to an imposter. Or maybe the Saudis were just looking for their $4 billion, or $3 billion—but I raise my eyebrows at $500 million. I am really not sure whether the “Tiger Squad” would go through all that aggravation and bad publicity to risk yet another “Khashoggi” scandal to just get back a mere $500 million dollars.

But even a paltry $500 million will fill a lot of gas tanks, start a lot of lawn mowers, and power up the propane tanks that grill those Sunday afternoon burgers and ribs, and the AC that makes life in the summertime worth living. Or maybe the Saudis just wanted to send Aljabri and any other well-connected Saudi “spymasters” out there a message about what happens when you, well, let’s say “take” rather than “steal”, $11 billion dollars—or less.

Perhaps a “Tiger Squad” will want to talk to you and get some of Saudi Arabia’s money back.

Like when the phone company you jettisoned for the better deal with the other phone company uses a pesky, persistent robo-call phone company with a truly annoying, non-human, non-sentient voice to start calling you to “discuss” your unpaid bill.

So, there’s “torture” and there’s “torture”.

Why is Aljabri jabbering to “60 Minutes” now?

So much moaning and crying and tearing of garments is going on because, well, because later this week U.S. President Joe Biden is going to stop pedaling his bicycle, leave his Delaware beach house, take a break from all those icky photos of his son Hunter smoking the pipe, floating in a water tank under spooky dim lights, and saying, “I hate my stepmother”. This week, President Biden will actually get on a plane and go somewhere.

And not just anywhere.

President Biden is going to Saudi Arabia.

But he’s not going to grab an extra-large chocolate glazed at Riyadh’s House of Donuts—along with a cup of truly delicious coffee. Nor will he gobble up some indescribably scrumptious broasted chicken and fries at Al Baik—although actually, Al Baik’s broasted chicken is worth all the security hassle of diverting Air Force One for. And it’s unlikely that Joe will sit on a lovely oriental rug, drink delicate white tea or thimbles full of Arabic coffee and cardamon in a tent on a breezy Saudi night, and nibble on the most divine Saghai dates, stuffed with pistachios and quite unnecessarily drizzled with desert bees’ honey.

President Biden’s going to Saudi Arabia. He says he’s not going there to meet Saudi’s charismatic Crown Prince MBS, but we know that is what is going to happen. Whether the international press cameras will capture this moment is unknown. Whether Biden will tumble down the steps of his plane (powered by that Saudi oil), and then fall upon his knees and bow his head deep in the sand (making it all look like an unplanned accident), and beg for oil and gas to fill up Americans’ gas tanks so we can get to church on time on Sunday, power up the lawn mower, throw burgers and ribs on the grill, crank up the AC and turn off that boring, whining Aljabri on “Sixty Minutes” is something we don’t know, and may never see.

But it really might happen.

And there are $11 billion reasons why it should.

Sarah Whalen has a J.D. from New York Law School, an M.A. degree in history from New York University, and an Ll.M. from Temple University School of Law.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

This good cop, bad cop tactic against the Crown Prince and King of Saudi Arabia is unlikely to work.

So the White House takes the rare step and recognizes the role played by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MBS, in extending a ceasefire in Yemen. The plan is now for a trip to Riyadh by American President Joe Biden. A bit late of Biden trying to reach out after publicly abusing and insulting the Saudi leadership.

But never mind—the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Crown Prince Bin Salman and Saudi King Salman deserved credit for their roles in the truce extension. I guess thanks are due from the Saudi leadership for the graciousness being shown by the President of the worlds sole superpower.

The visit next month in July will focus on the aim of growing relations with Saudi Arabia at a time when Biden is trying to lower gas prices in the United States. Biden will also participate in a Riyadh summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional union whose members include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

What concerns some friends in Riyadh is that US and UK Muslim Brotherhood organizations have been toning down attacks on MBS and in some cases visiting Saudi Arabia with the blessings of the Biden Administration. Is the Muslim Brotherhood – despite being considered a terrorist organization by Saudi Arabia – again being used as a diplomatic proxy by the Democrats for outreach to overseas Muslim nations?

Rise of a confident Saudi Arabia

With the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — Saudi Arabian governing structures have become more centralized, remolded, and those who had a free hand and supporting overseas Muslim groups and organizations (most of which were rooted in political Islamism) are being reined in. 

Today understanding the role of Islam in the Saudi state and in public life in a more moderate and beneficial level for the average Saudi citizen is being promoted more and Saudis seem much more happier and freer to practice their religion and live their lives. 

Also encouragement of Saudis based on merit is increasing and leaving those who benefited without merit are being left aside. But there is still concern within Saudi Arabia as well as other Muslim nations like the UAE, Egypt and others that Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood still have a hold within these nations. 

Islamists such as the Muslim Brotherhood (and its South Asian sister organization Jamaat-e-Islami) usually targets the educated middle and upper classes and civil society. This is why the former President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promoted the Muslim Brotherhood to destabilize Arab nations through the ‘Arab Spring’.  They had willing accomplices.

Western Muslim Brotherhood activists, naive activist Muslims and non-Muslims were encouraged in the name of human rights and democracy—and given tools to reach into and support the Muslim activists within in North Africa and the Middle East. 

The Tunisian and Egyptian governments fell to the Muslim Brotherhood and other nations in the region became concerned. At the same time the same very Western Muslim Brotherhood activists started to play good cop/bad cop—some reached out to the Arab nations like Saudi Arabia to ‘assist’ them in tackling Islamist terrorism and helping them in their relations with the west. One of the cultured and connected British Muslim activists which I had met in 2011 mentioned that Arabs were like donkeys that needed to be milked dry!

Islamists in their talk about the Muslim community and the ummah simply seek power and money. They are primarily politicians and they will use—like other politicians—to get that power. Note how easy access the Islamists have had in the UK and US to senior government officials? Note how Islamists know how to use the Western systems to benefit themselves and their causes.

Saudis being generally more socially conservative and literal in their interpretation of the Quran—have also been trusting. This naivety and softness in Saudis dealing with Westerners—especially Islamists is coming to an abrupt end according to a retired Saudi diplomat. He mentioned that it will be a hard slog but MBS knows how to protect the people of the region and his country from the Islamists and their aiders.

Since the 2011 Arab uprisings aided and supported by President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when protests erupted across Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. Western Muslims especially in the United States and United Kingdom with Muslim Brotherhood backgrounds and or links with such groups were used  and are still being used to cause problems for the Arab nations (which of course then the Americans can help out on).

The Art of War of the Arabs

Political shrewdness within the Arab leaders is growing and maybe this re-engagement with elements from the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups is being used as a tool to protect their nations. But then again what nation has successfully protected itself at engaging with extremists and terrorists (which is what the Saudis and Emiratis regard Islamists).

An ex-Saudi diplomat friend said Arab nations are placed into different categories by the Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) and discussed how infiltration of these nations is being done and who is being targeted. I hope he will come out into the open to tackle what he considers a direct threat to his country by educating his fellow citizens.

He said that when he was in the United States in 2018 a senior US government official mentioned what nations were being targeted in the so-called Arab Spring – these included those with small populations and high reserves of natural resources such as Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE to wealthy nations with a larger population Saudi Arabia, the economically vulnerable Oman and Bahrain—and Egypt with its large population, a fairly strong military.

The official also mentioned names of individuals that Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State used to ‘help plant’ pro US Muslim Brotherhood sympathisers directly within and around Arab leaders. He also mentioned the reason the Saudis and Emiratis banned the Muslim Brotherhood was for this reason. 

Again just like in 2011 Arab nations and leaders are being approached, to find out how their leaders are interacting with their populations and opposition movements – and information is being reported back to Washington DC.

Time for Change

Lessons of Islamists survival during and since the Arab uprisings show that they are opportunistic. They will use any and every way to get into positions where they can manipulate and get into power.

The era of political Islamist parties is coming to an end and the Arab world and the larger extent the Muslim world—countries like Pakistan and Indonesia should expect ‘Western Islamists’ to increase their overtures to the leaders within these nations.

The decline of political Islam in the Arab world is happening and there will be a lot of homeless Islamists needing a home. Maybe they are seeking to come to the West for asylum? 

The Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar sought to bring the MBS Act against the Saudis, to prohibit Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—the younger de facto chief of Saudi Arabia from visiting to the United States excluding attending the United Nations headquarters in New York. Omar and her colleagues from the Democratic Party of President Joe Biden have sought to freeze the Crown Princes’ US property and limit any transactions associated with the United States. 

But whilst Biden’s trip is being planned in July 2022, now Omar is said to be reaching out to Saudis in peace overtures—a traditional Muslim Brotherhood tactic of divide and rule—using one side to attack and another to make peace. This good cop, bad cop tactic against the Crown Prince and King of Saudi Arabia is unlikely to work.

Crown Prince MBS and King Salman will meet President Joe Biden but the President and his advisors should know that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Saudis born in the last 40 years who know their friends and foes and will stand up for their nation and leaders and will refuse to be manipulated or divided by anyone.

Mohammed Abbasi is a London-based coach, speaker and writer. He is director of Association of British Muslims. He works for Football for Peace. He is a great fan of Sun Tzu, and he teaches the Art-of-War.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

We find that Russia and Iran continue recklessly seeking to overthrow the international order and the leadership of the United States.

In light of the increase in Houthi terrorist attacks against civilians and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, and in light of the Ukrainian crisis, we may highlight several points.

Many people believe mistakenly that the international order led by the US is a matter of tactical or strategic positions as if the US chose its role. No, it’s a matter of inevitableness, as the US did not choose to build or lead, but rather as a result of the two world wars.

With the current data, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Iran, combined, are unable to compete with the United States or overthrow the international order until the data changes.

Russian actions in Ukraine will undoubtedly affect the international order temporarily. Still, it is not in power to overthrow the international order, no matter how Russia insinuates otherwise.

The Russian moves in the military, energy, and currency matters are at best just an attempt to rise within the international order. Still, it may lead to results that contradict what the Russians planned in the first place.

We have two different approaches. The first includes China and Saudi Arabia, adopting a process that does not seek to challenge the international order or challenge the United States in its leadership.

On the other hand, we find that Russia and Iran continue recklessly seeking to overthrow the international order and the leadership of the United States.

The two approaches seek to create a new multipolar international order. The Chinese-Saudi approach plays within the laws of the international order. At the same time, the Russian-Iranian approach is reckless, as it does not allow to continue in the game in a targeted manner.

The truth is that the Chinese-Saudi approach is working on a sound understanding that the emergence or end of international order is linked to the inevitableness, not strategy, waiting for the opportunity, not recklessly trying to create it.

Iran is weak where its strength stems from practicing terrorism covered by the West and does not represent a dilemma for the US or the international order. Still, it is a dilemma for some US administrations that play recklessly against the inevitableness.

What threatens the US leadership in the world and its influence, is not the Chinese-Saudi axis or the Russian-Iranian axis, but it’s that some US administrations and politicians play against the inevitableness. It creates more loopholes that will undoubtedly be exploited.

The US policy of condoning or appeasing practiced by Obama-Biden administrations towards Iran against the strongest ally of the US in the Middle East is playing against the inevitableness, which led to the fall of at least three countries in the region under Russian influence.

The weak American stance towards the Iranian terrorist activities against the Saudis is eventually what gave Russia the strength to invade Ukraine and allowed the impressive achievement of OPEC+.

Turki al-Owerde is an independent Political Analyst and Commentator from Saudi Arabia. He tweets under @Turki_AlOwerde.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

“There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” a U.S. official told WSJ. “It was part of turning on the spigot [of Saudi oil]”.

It further stated that, Riyadh has signaled that its relationship with Washington has deteriorated due to Biden administration’s wrong policies towards the Gulf region. 

UAE also stands by the Saudi concerns about the restrained U.S. response to the recent missile strikes by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen against the interests of UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, both the monarchies are concerned about the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, which doesn’t address their security concerns, and has entered into the final states of negotiations in the recent weeks.

However, Biden is running after the two gulf allies to repair the relations as the oil prices surge over $130 per barrel, which is for the first time in the 14 years. Saudi Arabia and UAE are the two key oil producers in the region that can pump millions of more barrels of more oil if they wish to, so that the crude market prices can calm down.

The National Security Council’s Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk, and the State Department’s Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein, both traveled to Saudi Arabia in February to mend the ties with the Kingdom. Later, McGurk met with Sheikh Mohammed in Abu Dhabi in a bid to address UAE’s anger over the U.S. response to the Houthi attacks.

A U.S. official said, “the Biden administration has worked diligently to strengthen Saudi and Emirati missile defenses, and that America would be doing more in the coming months to help the two Gulf nations protect themselves. However, it may not be everything the two countries want, but U.S. is trying hard to address their security concerns”.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and UAE have declined to pump more oil, while sticking to the production plan approved among the members of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The energy alliance with Russia has enhanced OPEC’s power and also brought the two gulf monarchies closer to Moscow.

Saudi Arabia and UAE started keeping away from United States after Biden publicly reprimanded Saudi Arabia’s legitimate action in aiding Yemen’s sovereignty against Iran-backed Houthi terrorism.

Biden also reversed the move taken by his predecessor Mr. Donald Trump, that put the Houthis on the America’s official list of global terrorists. Due to which, the efforts to broker a cease-fire deal between Yemeni forces and the Houthis were ruined.

UAE ambassador to United States Yousef Al-Otaiba said last week, that the relations between the two countries were strained. He said, “It is like any relationship. It has strong days where the relationship is very healthy and days where the relationship is under question. Today, we’re going through a stress test, but I am confident that we will get out of it and get to a better place”.

On the other hand, when Saudi Crown Prince was asked by The Atlantic magazine whether Biden misunderstood him or not. Prince responded, “Simply, I do not care”.

No country can jeopardize its economy by keeping distance from the Kingdom and its emerging leader Mohammed Bin Salman.

Believe it or not, but the world has now accepted that along with the Arab world, the world’s strongest player is Saudi Arabia.

A few years ago Mohammed bin Salman said, “Middle East will be the new Europe in Upcoming Days”, which the world is seeing happening now.

Be it Russia, America, China, or France, all are trying best to make Saudi Arabia on their side, one of the major reasons is Saudi Arabia holds keys to the giant market for oil and gas, and its Vision2030 is a massive development project. Moreover, no country can jeopardize its economy by keeping distance from the Kingdom and its emerging leader Mohammed Bin Salman.

This fact troubles pro-Iranian Ikhwani or Muslim Brotherhood media as well as the left media of the west. Every second day false propaganda is spread against Saudi Arabia and its leaders. 

Saudi Arabia possesses key to Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+), which gives the Kingdom leverage to decide the oil prices. 

Few days ago, the price of crude oil was up to $60 per barrel but now it has increased to $100, after which America and European countries started restless, and requested to get more oil from Saudi Arabia in the market so that prices can be stabilized.

Last week, US Congressman Brad Sherman threatened that Saudi oil should be sent to the market in large quantities so that the world’s dependence on the Russian oil is reduced and Moscow should be taught a lesson and Ukraine should be supported.

But the very next day, Saudi Arabia reiterated its commitment to the deal with OPEC+ with Russia and showed the doors to Sherman’s arrogance.

The shoddy statement of Brad Sherman clearly shows another fury of Washington that somehow Arab countries should be dragged into the war so that the tide is turned towards the Arab world, but King Saud’s grandson has ruined all the hopes.

Saudi Arabia’s stance is clear that Kingdom doesn’t interfere into any country’s internal matters.

The 36-year-old prince has left his footprint on the global platform and this G20 photo below clearly shows his power that MBS is one of the mightiest leaders of this group.

Waqar Khan is an Independent Writer and Blogger. He tweets under @WaKhan337.

Originally written in Hindi. Translated by MilliChronicle.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

With Biden, the threats to use the military to end the Iranian nuclear crisis have vanished. Sanctions are being removed, albeit slowly.

Over the past few days, the nuclear talks between Iran and the US have seen many ups and downs. They were about to collapse, with Iran taking a harder line and the US refusing to shift to non-diplomatic means to curb the Iranian nuclear danger. The talks seem to be an uphill mission. Three years ago, the landscape was completely different. There were hawks in the US, ‘doves’ in Iran–with the US administration pulling the strings and controlling the scene. Now, there’s neither the US hawks, nor Iran doves, nor the framework on which the two sides could reach a compromise.

Since Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative cleric who came to the presidency following an engineered election, took office, the Iranian position has been hardening. European and U.S. officials accused Iran of making sweeping new demands and of reneging on compromises worked out earlier this year.

Raisi, under personal U.S. sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses in his past as a judge, said Iran seeks the “lifting of all U.S. sanctions and neutralization of sanctions”. He was also quoted by the state-run television as saying that ‘the negotiations we are considering are result-oriented ones. We will not leave the negotiating table … but we will not retreat from the interests of our nation in any way.’

But it’s not without reason. The Democratic US administration led by Joe Biden isn’t willing to pursue harsh approach to address the Iranian nuclear talks. It sees that the diplomatic engagement is more fruitful and less costly. Since he took office earlier in 2021, Biden has been working to reverse the course of action and measures taken by Trump during his four-year presidency. Trump was so tough on Iran, starting from the electoral campaigning. He promised to tear up the nuke deal, labeling it ‘the worst deal ever’ and accusing it of being ‘too generous’. He ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the engineer of Iran’s military operations overseas, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iran-aligned militia commander.

Trump’s measures toward Iran and the latter’s reaction to them offer an explanation of why the current situation is nearing deadlock, with Iran having an edge. When Trump killed Soleimani, Iran made strong condemnations, launched threats and ramped up rhetorical escalation.  But on the ground, it bombed two US bases in Iraq, with not a single US trooper being injured. That’s surely because Iran was well-aware of the consequences that it could face in case Trump saw that the Iranian action was so harsh it deserves revenge.

With Biden, the threats to use the military to end the Iranian nuclear crisis have vanished. Sanctions are being removed, albeit slowly. Negotiations are being given precedence to the military and other non-diplomatic options. There are calls upon—and appeals to—Iran to return to talks and sit down at the negotiation table.

Yet, there’s a desire among the Iranian rulers and foreign policy framers to maintain JCPOA in its current version, of which Trump pulled out the US. The deal’s terms seemed favorable for Iran. Billions of dollars have been unfrozen and sent to the country shortly after concluding the deal. More importantly, the deal had left unaddressed the issues that make the current nuclear talks stumble. It didn’t include any provisions about Iran’s missiles program or the Iranian expansionist schemes throughout the region—two issues the West wants to settle during the ongoing talks to cut an unblemished deal.

As a result of the Iranian stubbornness, the US and Israel ramped up rhetoric against the clerical regime and hinting at using military option to thwart Iran’s attempts to possess a bomb. The Israeli government said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke by phone with Blinken on Thursday and accused Tehran of using its Fordo advances as “nuclear blackmail” in the JCPOA talks. It said Bennett urged the United States and other world powers to respond by stopping the negotiations immediately.

Blinken made his comment about determining the Iranian negotiators’ seriousness in “the next day or two” as he responded to a reporter asking what he thought of Bennett’s appeal. “We will not accept the status quo of Iran building its [nuclear] program on the one hand and dragging its feet in talks on the other. That’s not going to last,” Blinken added.

It was the first time that Blinken or any other Biden administration official has publicly stated such a timeframe for assessing Iran’s negotiating position, after months of declining to do so while also saying that time was running short.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki yet said ‘Given the ongoing advances in Iran’s nuclear program, the president has asked his team to be prepared in the event that diplomacy fails and we must turn to other options.’

The Biden administration has switched from the soft rhetoric and calls on Iran to pursue diplomacy to the harsh one and threats to give up on diplomacy and reverse the current course of action. But Biden’s steps didn’t go beyond rhetoric.

It seems the Biden administration is so fearful of resorting to the military option—a thing Trump never feared.

“If diplomacy cannot get on track soon and if Iran’s nuclear program continues to accelerate, then we will have no choice but to take additional measures to further restrict Iran’s revenue-producing sectors,” Paski said. The comment shows how the Biden administration sees the best way to curb Iran. It’s a half-hearted approach that never proved to be working.

The reasons why the talks are progressing slowly are clear. There’s no Trump who could deter Iran, there’s no framework or common ground on which the two sides could build a viable compromise. The Biden administration insists on remaining benign, soft and tender when it comes to Iran, which Iran exploits the most. He continues to do so while knowing that a single military strike outside Iran’s borders that targeted a single commander had thrown Iran into confusion and dismay. Its ‘powerful’ IRGC even mistakenly shot down a civilian airliner, killing all passengers on board. Iran isn’t powerful. But Biden isn’t Trump, and Iran is fully aware of this.

Mostapha Hassan Abdelwahab is Egyptian journalist and political analyst. He focuses on the Iranian and Iraqi affairs as well as political Islam groups. He has works published in Vocal Europe, The Greater Middle East and elsewhere.