Defense News: Saudi Arabia Provoked Iran To Cover Economic Woes, Analysts Say
DUBAI and WASHINGTON — The ongoing standoff between Saudi Arabia and Iran is born out the kingdom's economic woes, according to Gulf analysts. Saudi Arabia faces significant problems on multiple fronts, including new and serious domestic and foreign policy concerns.
"Its economy is suffering considerably from the low cost of petroleum, which, for complex reasons, Riyadh itself is helping to maintain," said Hussien Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "Current tensions with Iran don't bode well for stability of oil pricing either. This economic pressure on the Saudi social and political system may help to explain the timing of the executions."
The Saudi government faces a period of unprecedented belt-tightening, with unavoidable cuts in public services, amenities, subsidies and other social benefits that the citizenry has come to expect over recent decades, Ibish said.
WNU Editor: The above video examines what happens if Iran and Saudi Arabia go to war.
More News On The Iran - Saudi Rift
Arab League backs Saudi Arabia, condemns Iran -- DW
Saudi Arabia cements support against Iran at Arab League summit -- FOX News
Arab League Statement Backs Saudi Arabia in Diplomatic Fight With Iran -- WSJ
Iran-Saudi tensions: 6 nations label embassy attack terrorism -- CNN
Saudi Arabia has taken confrontational approach in the region: Iran -- Tehran Times
Increasing tensions with Saudi Arabia is bad news for Rouhani and reformist Iranians -- Shahram Akbarzadeh, The Guardian
Oman, stuck between Saudi Arabia and Iran -- Al-Monitor
Iran and Saudi Arabia Double Down on a Cold War Neither Can Win -- Newsweek
The Saudi execution of a Shia cleric has deepened Islam's sectarian rift. Where does that leave the west? -- Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian
Fears grow over Saudi-Iran row -- Ted Regencia, Al Jazeera
The Saudi Arabia-Iran stand-off — what next? -- Munawar Mirza, Express Tribune
What’s the Saudi-Iran Feud Really About? -- Uri Friedman, The Atlantic
Fear and loathing in Saudi Arabia -- Kenneth Pollack, Brookings
A gulf between them: Understanding the Saudi-Iran dispute -- BBC