China brokers an Iran-Saudi rapprochement
But the deal will not end the countries’ proxy war, nor cement China as the region’s new powerhouse
GO BACK, for a moment, to the halcyon days of late 2015, the last time Saudi Arabia and Iran had diplomatic relations. They were at odds in Syria, where they backed opposing sides in the civil war against Bashar al-Assad, and in Yemen, much of which had fallen to the Houthis, a Shia rebel group. Iran was furious over reports that Saudi police had sexually assaulted young Iranian pilgrims at Jeddah’s airport. Four years earlier, America had accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the kingdom’s ambassador in Washington.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The less bad old days”
From the March 18th 2023 edition
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