Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cuts diplomatic ties with Iran

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**djones520**

Well this certainly can't be good...

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/03/saudi-arabia-cuts-ties-with-iran-foreign-minister-says.html?intcmp=hpbt1

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran, the Kingdom’s foreign minister announced on Sunday, deciding "enough is enough" with the Islamic Republic, according to a source with knowledge of the Saudi government's thinking.

"Enough is enough," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "Again and again Tehran has thumbed their nose at the West. They continue to sponsor terrorism and launch ballistic missiles and no one is doing anything about it. The Saudis really don't care if they anger the White House."

The move comes amid escalating tensions between the countries following Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric on Saturday. A group of Iranians attacked the Saudi Embassy with Molotov cocktails and stones earlier Sunday following the death of Sheikh Nimir al-Nimir, and the Saudis have indicated they don't believe the Iranian government tried to stop the protesters.

Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian suggested the Saudi government was using the severing of diplomatic ties as a way to distract from al-Nimir's death, FARS news agency reported.
Saudi Arabia has ordered its personnel back from Iran and asked the Iranian diplomatic mission and other entities to depart the Kingdom within 48 hours, Reuters reported.

**LordofHats**

Hmm. This was probably going to happen sooner or later, now that the US has 'resolved' tensions with Iran over their nuclear program. Especially now with Saudi Arabia taking more flak than ever for its domestic policy, and their interests in Iraq and the ISIS conflict being mutual opposed.

It could be very bad. The Saudis are in a very tenuous position with the Syrian Civil War and ISIS Conflict. The nightmare scenario is the Saudi government going from under the table dealings with ISIS to over the table dealings.

**DutchWinsAll**

djones520 wrote:

"Enough is enough," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "Again and again Tehran has thumbed their nose at the West. They continue to sponsor terrorism and launch ballistic missiles and no one is doing anything about it. The Saudis really don't care if they anger the White House."

**jhe90**

Oh Saudi Arabia.

Much as Iran can be odious, there backwards too.

The only reason people deal with them is oil and money.

**godardc**

I really don't know which one I prefer.
Maybe they can send each other to oblivion, and let a safer world ^^

**Jihadin**

I think Saudi can take em.

**djones520**

Jihadin wrote:
I think Saudi can take em.

Would be an interesting Russian/US proxy war, with both nations heavily armed with our respective military hardware.

**Breotan**

djones520 wrote:
Jihadin wrote:
I think Saudi can take em.

Would be an interesting Russian/US proxy war, with both nations heavily armed with our respective military hardware.

So... you're putting money on the Saudis then?

**djones520**

Breotan wrote:
djones520 wrote:
Jihadin wrote:
I think Saudi can take em.

Would be an interesting Russian/US proxy war, with both nations heavily armed with our respective military hardware.

So... you're putting money on the Saudis then?

Training still matters. I don't really know enough about their military's to really make an informed opinion on the matter.

**loki old fart**

This was bound to happen, with the saudi's attacking Shiite's in Yemen. an possibly supporting Isis in Iraq.

**Relapse**

Then the war happened and oil shot back up to over $140 a barrel.
I hope not.

**Breotan**

Relapse wrote:
Then the war happened and oil shot back up to over $140 a barrel.
I hope not.

Oil prices will stay low for a long time. Saudi Arabia simply cannot afford to let the US begin full scale fracking.

**Ouze**

You can edit the title to add Bahrain has cut ties to Iran now, too.

**Frazzled**

godardc wrote:
I really don't know which one I prefer.
Maybe they can send each other to oblivion, and let a safer world ^^

Indeed, they used to call this the Reagan Doctrine. Anyone have a cake and some Bibles? We have a business opportunity here.

**djones520**

Ouze wrote:
You can edit the title to add Bahrain has cut ties to Iran now, too.

Good find. The UAE has begun to scale back ties as well, but hasn't completely cut them like the other two.

**Dreadwinter**

Russia just started delivering missiles to Iran last month, right?

**Relapse**

Breotan wrote:
Relapse wrote:
Then the war happened and oil shot back up to over $140 a barrel.
I hope not.

Oil prices will stay low for a long time. Saudi Arabia simply cannot afford to let the US begin full scale fracking.

The U.S. can start pumping those wells already fracked at anytime. I am sure a major tactic would be for Iran and the Saudis would be to attack each other's production.
My main concern is seeing the area devastated. I'm no fan of either country, but I hate seeing people being uprooted and killed.

**Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl**

djones520 wrote:
"Enough is enough," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "Again and again Tehran has thumbed their nose at the West. […] The Saudis really don't care if they anger the White House."

What the! I don't even?
Do the Saudi think they are “the West” because they are geographically slightly more to the west than Iran?

godardc wrote:
I really don't know which one I prefer.

I know which one I prefer. The one that lets women drive. And show their face in public. And elect a president.
But regardless, I wouldn't want either country to be sent to oblivion. There are nice, progressive people in both countries, and they don't deserve to be “sent to oblivion” (and of course they do not deserve the fact that the respective governments inflicts on them, with the approval of our own governments in the case of the most backward and regressive of those two regimes). And even the most conservative, regressive bunch, I'd rather they changed their mind.

**Relapse**

Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
djones520 wrote:
"Enough is enough," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "Again and again Tehran has thumbed their nose at the West. […] The Saudis really don't care if they anger the White House."

What the! I don't even?
Do the Saudi think they are “the West” because they are geographically slightly more to the west than Iran?

godardc wrote:
I really don't know which one I prefer.

I know which one I prefer. The one that lets women drive. And show their face in public. And elect a president.
But regardless, I wouldn't want either country to be sent to oblivion. There are nice, progressive people in both countries, and they don't deserve to be “sent to oblivion” (and of course they do not deserve the fact that the respective governments inflicts on them, with the approval of our own governments in the case of the most backward and regressive of those two regimes). And even the most conservative, regressive bunch, I'd rather they changed their mind.

Hopefully it will all come down to saber rattling and other big talk. I do worry about terrorist attacks in each country, though, eventually, boiling over into a real war.

**NuggzTheNinja**

The Saudis cut ties with Iran because the Iranians sponsor terrorism against the West? Well...that's...hilarious...

Oh, and...

**Ustrello**

Sudan has cut ties with Iran and the UAE have downgraded ties with Iran also

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/bahrain-cuts-ties-with-tehran-as-crisis-widens-in-saudi-iran-split/2016/01/04/145c8824-b271-11e5-8abc-d09392edc612_story.html

**Grey Templar**

So what happens if Iran goes to war with the Saudis and Bahrain? Besides $200 a barrel oil...

**Relapse**

Grey Templar wrote:
So what happens if Iran goes to war with the Saudis and Bahrain? Besides $200 a barrel oil...

I get sky high bonuses at work I would rather be collecting for some other cause. Aside from that, we have a number of other countries in chaos with gak bags like ISIS running in to gather the peices, our possible re involvement in that tar baby, more terrorists trained to make their way over here. That's all I can think of from the top of my head.

**Grey Templar**

Oh yeah, that would definitely be a problem. Several war ravaged countries would be ripe for ISIS to radicalize. And there might be enough infrastructure left for ISIS to become a major military power in the region.

**Relapse**

Grey Templar wrote:
Oh yeah, that would definitely be a problem. Several war ravaged countries would be ripe for ISIS to radicalize. And there might be enough infrastructure left for ISIS to become a major military power in the region.

I also have a good guess on whose nuclear reactor would be targeted.

Also, we have the Staits of Hormuz situation. Is Obama going to risk political embarrassment if it comes to us having to fight to keep them open, will he dither trying to be diplomatic until irreparable damage is done. Lots of scenarios, none really good.

**Grey Templar**

Then we'd have ISIS with the necessary components to create dirty bombs. Not a great possibility. Though if this looks likely I think Israel might turn any and all of Irans nuclear sites into ash just to prevent that. Or send in some extraction teams to evacuate the nuclear material.

**Relapse**

Grey Templar wrote:
Then we'd have ISIS with the necessary components to create dirty bombs. Not a great possibility. Though if this looks likely I think Israel might turn any and all of Irans nuclear sites into ash just to prevent that. Or send in some extraction teams to evacuate the nuclear material.

There are a lot of scary things that can happen. I think it would all begin with terrorist strikes if it happened.

**Grey Templar**

It really does sound like the perfect storm. ISIS could further destabilize the two countries while they are fighting each other, the move in the pick up the pieces and be seen as liberators and heroes.

**Relapse**

Grey Templar wrote:
It really does sound like the perfect storm. ISIS could further destabilize the two countries while they are fighting each other, the move in the pick up the pieces and be seen as liberators and heroes.

How many countries over there are now jacked up and in the middle of some armed conflict?

**Grey Templar**

Not nearly as much as if there was an armed conflict between two national armies. While there is a lot of fighting going on, its not on the same scale or same amount of disruption.