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Saudi-Iran Agreement Is Less than Meets the Eye
(Bloomberg-Washington Post) Bobby Ghosh - With Chinese encouragement, Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic relations. But on closer examination, the mediator's role is overstated, as is the substance of the agreement. The Iranians and Saudis had been working toward a detente for two years, aided by several intermediaries - notably Iraq and Oman. China entered the picture late, after the terms had been agreed. But it suits Tehran and Riyadh to allow Beijing to hog the credit. After all, China is the world's biggest buyer of what Saudi Arabia and Iran have to sell. The two sides have agreed to reopen embassies. But the presence of ambassadors in Tehran and Riyadh did little to ameliorate antagonism in the past. Given the hard realities, the agreement is unlikely to greatly alter the risks of conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia.