What Does Saudi Arabia Want from the Iran War? Will It Join?

For Saudi Arabia, being caught in the middle of the war between Iran and its archfoes Israel and the US is the realization of a nightmare scenario the kingdom has long dreaded. The country, which sees itself as the economic and political leader of the Arab world and a beacon for Muslims everywhere, has long regarded Iran as a rival — and as a threat, one the previous Saudi king repeatedly asked the US to take on. But after the US did just that, Saudi Arabia has been alarmed to find itself dragged into the fight. Iran has lobbed missiles and drones at the kingdom and battered its oil-based economy through its throttling of the Strait of Hormuz.

Weeks before the war, as diplomatic talks between Iran and the US appeared to be on shaky ground and President Donald Trump raised the specter of military action, Saudi officials went out of their way to assure their Iranian counterparts that they wouldn’t allow the kingdom’s territories and airspace to be used to attack the Islamic Republic. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman made such a commitment to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on January 28. Riyadh’s wealthy neighbors Qatar and the United Arab Emirates did the same.