Nurturing Gulf-Iran dialogue

The message from Khaled Subuh,
HH Foreign Minister of Kuwait, to
Iran “was clear and wise,” writes
Al-Dakheel. Essentially, Gulf-Iran
relations have to be based on the
Charter of the UN and principles
of international law governing
relationships between states.
“The message states that all parties
are partners in the region with
common interests, meaning dialogue
and relationship normalization should be
tapped into by both sides,” he wrote. “Iranian President Rouhani welcomed the initiative and
deemed it a positive step to improve relations, which is good and digestible.” However, Al-
Dakheel notes the reality is somewhat different.“Let’s remind ourselves of the testimony by
Rafsanjani himself, a part of the established Iranian regime, that talked about breaching the
agreement Iran and Saudi Arabia through blunt interventions in the internal affairs of the
Gulf.”While dialogue with Iran should be integral to the political system, the writer is pessimistic
about its chances. “The claws of Iran have reached Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq,” he writes.