Trump-MBS deal could disrupt Mideast balance of power
By Nader Entessar
International relations expert
In the recent meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump in Washington, several agreements were reached, including a one-trillion-dollar investment by Saudi Arabia in the United States, the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh, a defense pact between the two countries, and talks regarding the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations.
These agreements signal the deepening of political, security and economic ties between Washington and Riyadh, and they have the potential to reshape the balance of power in the Middle East.
However, although bin Salman expressed readiness to mediate between Tehran and Washington, there was little indication that Iran’s red lines had been taken into account.
Saudi Arabia has long placed the strengthening of security cooperation with the US at the top of its priorities, and Iran’s red lines matter only insofar as they do not clash with the kingdom’s interests, particularly its security ones.
What Saudi Arabia prioritizes is reinforcing cooperation with the United States to position its capital as the region’s leading power. If the promises Trump made to bin Salman are implemented not remain only at the level of words, they will have a negative impact on Iran’s balance of power in the Middle East.
This comes at a time when relations between Tehran and Washington, despite constant fluctuation and the difficulty of predicting their future, can be described as being at their lowest point since the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
The 12-day war launched by Israel against Iran in June, which the United States also joined, has effectively disrupted the negotiation process, and a return to diplomacy now appears almost unlikely.
The only circumstances under which such a process could succeed would be if both sides believed in it. In Trump’s political culture, diplomacy has been turned into an instrument of bullying, threats and coarse language. Within such a framework, a return to what is erroneously labelled diplomacy today — and which is far removed from classical diplomacy — would only be achievable through the capitulation of one side, namely Iran.
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