Yet recent weeks have also seen the biggest easing of tensions in years between Iran and its geopolitical rivals in the Middle East. On March 10th the government signed a deal, brokered by China, to restore diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia after a seven-year lapse. The Saudi government has invited Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president, to visit the kingdom—something only one previous Iranian president has done.
That may be empty talk, but the thaw in relations does seem to have an economic logic on both sides. Saudi Arabia needs stability to attract the investment it is counting on to help diversify the economy away from oil and petrochemicals. Iran’s economy, meanwhile, is on its last legs. In February the rial dropped to an all-time low of around 580,000 to the dollar, leaving it 55% weaker than a year before and 94% down over a decade .
But relations with China are lopsided: Iran sends lots of cut-price oil east, but China does not send much the other way. Giddy Iranian officials talked about how the partnership agreement might spur $400bn in Chinese investment. Last year, however, Chinese firms injected just $185m. Soon after Mr Trump renounced the, Iran announced that China National Petroleum Corporation had stepped in to replace Total, a French energy giant, in a $5bn contract to develop the massive South Pars gasfield.
That leaves the world with a series of bad options. One is continued diplomacy. But if Iran wanted to return to the, it could have done so by now. An alternative might be a lesser agreement, sometimes dubbed a “-minus”, in which Iran would not accept broader limits on its nuclear programme but would agree not to refine uranium to weapons-grade, and permit strictThis idea is attractive to some European policymakers.
Many Iranians who oppose the regime also fear an attack would prompt the country to rally behind its rulers. No one likes seeing bombs fall on their homeland, after all. But America’s assassination in 2020 of Qassem Suleimani, a senior Iranian general, does not seem to have hugely bolstered support for the regime .
None of these is a good option. They underline Mr Trump’s recklessness in renouncing even an imperfect arms-control agreement. The stand-off is a source of growing anxiety in the Gulf, which in turn, is one reason Saudi Arabia sought Chinese help in lowering tensions with Iran.The Saudis have not felt secure in their relationship with America for at least a decade. They saw Barack Obama’s support for the Arab spring as misguided and opposed his efforts to negotiate with Iran.
Iran entered into a detente with USA which USA abandoned under Donald Trump
🇮🇷has endured decades of USA persecution, isolation,victimazation but 🇮🇷 remained steadfast,unshaken and resolute against the incarnation of lucifer on Earth, not an easy on path by power of almighty ultimately the light will always win over darkness,big up to supreme leader .
It's not confusing at all. Iran and her neighbours want to live in peace while the war-addicted U.S. regime is just a pest to Iran and her neighbours.