Representatives from Saudi Arabia and Israel have held five confidential meetings about Iran since early 2014.
Despite the unresolved question of Palestine and Saudi Arabia never officially recognizing Israel’s right to exist, the two countries admitted to covert dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington Wednesday, reported Bloomberg.
Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer spoke on the aligning of interests at The Heritage Foundation in May. “Israel and the Arabs have a very similar view of the deal that is emerging right now with Iran,” said Dermer. “When Israelis and Arabs are on the same page, people should pay attention.”
Israeli and Saudi speakers at the event shared a common message — Iran wants to control the entire Middle East and should be stopped, reported Bloomberg’s Eli Lake.
The deadline for a final nuclear agreement is June 30. Although Israel and Saudi Arabia are geographically far closer to Iran than the U.S., neither has participated in discussions.
Israel and Arab states are concerned the deal could embolden Iran, fueling its military expansion across the Middle East. Iran already supports Shiite militias in Iraq, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas. (RELATED: Iran Sent ‘Tens Of Millions’ To Renew Support For Hamas)
President Barack Obama said the U.S. would use military force to defend Arab states from Iran, if necessary, speaking to leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council at a summit last month.
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