June 30, 2026 | The National Interest
Why Is Saudi Arabia Appeasing Iran?
Normalization with Israel would be far more beneficial for Saudi security than conciliation with the regime that has bombed its territory.
June 30, 2026 | The National Interest
Why Is Saudi Arabia Appeasing Iran?
Normalization with Israel would be far more beneficial for Saudi security than conciliation with the regime that has bombed its territory.
Excerpt
Last week, while Iran attacked Bahrain and ships navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia was preparing a reconciliation summit with Tehran. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) counterparts in Manama and issued a joint statement setting firm red lines. The ministers demanded confrontation of all Iranian threats, including missiles, drones, and proxy support. They insisted that trade and investment with Iran remain conditional on compliance and an end to destabilizing behavior, called for blocking Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and demanded free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian fees or control.
This was a coordinated and firm position. Even though Saudi Arabia was at the meeting, it seems to have chosen a different independent course. Alongside Qatar, Riyadh continues to pursue reconciliation with Iran. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which suffered the most severe Iranian attack, has taken a noticeably more cautious approach. This split within the GCC reveals that Saudi Arabia is not leading a unified Gulf position. Instead, it is advancing its own policy of accommodation toward the country that directly attacked it.
Unlike how it imagines itself, Saudi Arabia was not a mediator during the recent escalation. It was in fact a target. Iran struck Saudi territory with ballistic missiles and explosive drones.
Riyadh absorbed these attacks without expelling the Iranian ambassador or breaking diplomatic relations, although it did expel the Iranian military attache and launch covert, retaliatory strikes on Iran. Its public justification for its restraint was concern over potential damage to critical infrastructure, such as water desalination plants. However, Iran’s own desalination facilities were equally vulnerable to Saudi retaliation. Now, after taking Iranian fire without response, it is moving toward a reconciliation summit.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on the Gulf region and Yemen.