Saudi King asks Putin to help contain Iranian threat, accepts Russian gains in Syria
President Donald Trump’s best Middle East friend and ally, Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, arrived in Moscow Thursday Oct. 5 for a three-day state visit, a week before the President unveils his new Iran policy.
This policy, to be announced on Oct. 12 will, according to DEBKAfile’s sources, introduce new sanctions against Iran’s hard-line Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), while refraining from taking the United States out of the nuclear pact (JCPOA).
He is expected to extend this pact on Oct. 15 for another 90 days, by certifying that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the accord it signed with six world powers in 2015.
In his comments on Wednesday, Oct. 4, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson indicated that the pact was not the most important aspect of the administration’s Iran policy, when he said: “The JCPOA represents only a small part of the issues we have to address with Iran.”
The 82-year old Saudi king, and his powerful son, Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman, are now persuaded that even in the capacity of President Trump’s senior ally in the Sunni Arab camp he created during his Riyadh visit last April, Riyadh is not precluded from developing relations with the most powerful player in the region, Vladimir Putin.
As far as Riyadh is concerned, Iran’s nuclear program is not much of a problem – the Saudis have long accepted its inevitability. They are far more concerned by the failure of Trump’s Iran policies, new or old, to stop Syria and Iraq from running downhill into the wrong hands.
They see Iran, far from pulling out of the two war-torn countries, deepening its military grip. The Saudis feel they are left out in the cold by proactive Russian-Iranian-Hizballah military cooperation in Syria and control of the Syrian-Iraqi border. This military pact has been strengthened by Turkey, to form a relationship that was celebrated Wednesday by President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tehran, accompanied by Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar.
For even minimal influence over Syria’s fortunes, the Saudis realize they must open doors to the Kremlin. They also understand that Putin alone has the clout to make Tehran limit its backing for the Yemeni Houthi insurgency, which a Saudi-led coalition is fighting.
Indeed, Russian influence weighed in recently behind Tehran’s decision to withhold from Houthi forces the high-precision ballistic missiles they demanded for wreaking serious damage to Saudi cities.
King Salman arrived in Moscow with four instruments of persuasion in his pocket:
- A pact with Saudi Arabia, the acknowledged leader of the Sunni Arab world, would be another feather in the cap for Vladimir Putin when he campaigns for re-election as president next March, as the Russian leader who restored his country’s military power in the Middle East.
- Coordination with Riyadh on oil and gas prices and supplies will also be an achievement the Russian ruler can hardly resist, after their first successful foray in manipulating the market together. Last year, the Saudis were able to persuade 10 members of the OPEC oil cartel to cut back on oil quotas so as to boost prices. The rising prices gave Putin the bootstraps for pulling the Russian economy out of a hole.
- Salman arrived in Moscow with a huge delegation of business executives, economic leaders and potential investors seeking information on opportunities in Russia.
- The king will also show an interest in large-scale arms purchases from Russia – another bonanza for Putin – thereby breaking the US-European military industries’ virtual monopoly of the Saudi market.
In July 2015, when the friendship between the then Crown Prince Salman and President Putin blossomed, Riyadh pumped $10 billion of investments into the Russian economy.
However, two months later, President Putin ordered the massive expansion of Russian military intervention in Syria to rescue Bashar Assad’s rule, although it is anathema to Riyadh. He has never budged from this goal.
This goes to show that even lavish Saudi petrodollars have a limited impact on Putin’s strategic designs for the Middle East. And so Salman can’t be sure even in three days of talks to sway the Russian leader from his path.
Russian intellegence have already known that isis is created by mossad, m-16 and CIA so as to spilit the muslim countries in middle east as well as isreal will capture some more areas. But the reality is russia is going to destroy isreal and his alley uk and even USA if she face russia. Now the most terrorist country is isreal USA and Uk. So we support Russia to eliminate real terrorist countries of the world. Of course Russia will take favor china, pakistan, turkish , iran etc.
You are nuts. Your comments are not based on analysis but hatred and immature dreams. No one can predict the future.
The God of Israel knows the end from the beginning and will destroy this all of Israel’s enemies: Ezekiel 38:1-3 and Ezekiel 39:1-3 and following.
Israel is a people, not a territorial state entity. Samaria is not ‘… a land of open cities; .. the tranquil, who dwell securely; all of them living without a wall, and they have no bars or doors.’ Samaria was not ‘…liberated from the nations’. It is not ‘…the end of the years’
check your facts.
I’m intregued by your comment that Russia will destroy Isreal.
Straight from the pages of the Bible it says the king of of the north shall overthrow many countries(Daniel 11:40-42).Then the king of the north will hear of something in the mountians of Israel, but he, “gog” will be defeated(Ezekiel 39). But before this, neighboring countries will have weakened Jacob/Isreal (Isaiah 17:4) and ither during or shortly after gog will come to Isreal, and the king of the south, Sheba and dedan…and the young lions thereof..will say to gog, “have you come to take a spoil.” (Ezekiel 38:13)
King of the south, UK, US, Saudi Arabia…?
So who should we presume that the king of the north is? Possibly those to the extreme north…Russia? And Turkey and Iran along with him?
But Isreal will not be destroyed according to the Bible…(Ezekiel 39)
Isreal will seek the Lord.
Are prophecies coming to fufillment?
If so, the branches are tender and putting forth leaves, summer is nigh, be prepared.(Matthew 24:32, Luke 21:30)
So, Jesu, if I understand your warped mind correctly, Israel supports Jew-hating Islamists who want to wipe itself off the map? Makes you wonder why Israel bothers to spend so much on military and on counter-terrorism efforts if their goal were self-annihilation at the hands of their Islamist enemies, doesn’t it? You take leftist insanity to new heights! Just out of curiosity, why did you leave the “s” off Jesu? Maybe you think of yourself as the anti-Jesus?
You would be best served to pick up a Bible and turn to Ezekiel 38 & 39. Russia, Iran and Turkey will come against Israel along with Libya and the Sudan. No nation will come to their aid, not even the US. But God will. Destroying 5/6th of them by His hand. Isaiah 17, the destruction of Damascus will likely be the trigger. Everyone is in place as predicted some 2600 years ago. I pray for salvation for you, Israel and the rest of the world. Jesus’ return is imminent.
CLUELESS. HOW MANY AMERICAN TERRORISTS HAVE GONE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AND KILLED THEIR INNOCENT CITIZENS IN THE NAME OF RELIGION OR IDEALOGY?
Gog and Magog, spot on .. but do you know who finally comes to the rescue of Israel my brother ?
Isis created by CIA, that is beyond dought. Zibnew Brezinski, John McCain and their clown show work with terrorists all the time, remember Pol Pot, he was supported by Zibnew. An element of the US government is responsible for all the bloodshed in the world.
CIA is responsible for much death and destruction. Zibnew Brezinski, John McCain, John Brennan, James Clapper, George Bush, Hilary Clinton, and others are responsible for much suffering, they are disgusting people.
How long before Putin/Gog gets the idea that he is King of the World and decides to invade Israel?
GOG is not PUTIN but the Japaneese military Comander/The Shogun.
Arn.Sweden.
Please bring back you LINK to LinkedIn! Facebook and twitter aren’t enough!!
I love quoting random bible verses.
Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.
I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
Ezekiel 5:13
We have a King vrs a Dictator. Gd will save the King.
The rupture is coming, repent heathens
Rapture? ????What rapture?
The events described in Daniel 11:21-45 and Ezekiel 38-39 primarily take place during the seven-year tribulation [which the Ezekiel chapters having a double application at the end of the millennial reign of Christ], not during this church age wherein we now are. We may certainly see the run-up to these things, but they do not get fulfilled before the church is taken out. Therefore we should not consider President Putin as Gog; at least not yet. As for the king of the north described in Daniel 11, he is repeatedly identified by the scriptures as an Assyrian born, half-breed Roman-Catholic Jew.
May the Lord turn all peoples of the Middle East to a saving faith in his only begotten Son: the Lord Jesus Christ.
“an Assyrian born, half-breed Roman-Catholic Jew.”
You’d need at least six mothers to pull this lineage off.
No sir you don’t. Place of birth, an ecumenical conversion, and a mixed marriage; any combination of the previous elements will do.
Fantastic Article..It is showing that all sides exhibiting a new pragmatism. People are tired of the wars..They want to go home and rebuild make money. I believe Putin understands Israel..after all both sides have been invaded several times. He returned that captured tank from the old wars.. This is very important…respect and honor..very symbolic…very telling ..
Putin knows very well Israels Samson Option..As it too has a similar option..
Either one could have said this line written in a letter..a long time ago..
If you force us yet again to descend from the face of the Earth to the depths of the Earth — let the Earth roll toward the Nothingness.”