Conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has accused Iran of "direct military aggression" against his country. According to media reports he told British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that Iran was supplying the Houthi rebels in Yemen with missiles. Commentators fear that the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran will escalate.
Oil makes crown prince unassailable
Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves are the reason why the world is remaining silent on the war in Yemen, Keskisuomalainen complains:
“The blockade of Qatar and the intervention in the civil war in Yemen are seen as projects of the crown prince. The Saudis' constant bombings in Yemen over the last three years have been condemned as extremely brutal. Millions of people have fled their homes and cholera is raging in the hunger-stricken country. The humanitarian crisis is among the worst in recent history. But the Saudis can wreak havoc there without fear of anyone complaining - let alone imposing sanctions - because they have the largest oil reserves in the world.”
War in Yemen could spread
The war in Yemen has escalated to the next level, Der Standard comments:
“For at least the fourth time since the start of the year a long-range missile was fired from Yemen at Saudi Arabia: the most recent, which was intercepted above the airport in the capital of Riyadh, shows that the Yemeni rebels are now able to aim precisely at their targets. This drastically increases the danger of escalation: the Saudis aren't the only ones to doubt that, even with three missile brigades of the Yemeni army on their side, the rebels wouldn't have been able to make this technological leap on their own. If on top of that Iranian hardliners celebrate the strike in Riyadh and declare that Dubai will be the next target, this looks like an invitation to put Iran in its place.”
US using Saudi Arabia against Iran
The US is deliberately fuelling the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Daily Sabah argues:
“During the term of the previous U.S. administration, the U.S. government not only condoned Iran's expansionist policy, but also covertly supported it to disrupt Sunni hegemony and set new balances in the Middle East. Of course, the main motivation was to create an environment that would stir up a Sunni-Shiite conflict. And unfortunately, the new administration has not yet abandoned this. We should not be misled by current U.S. President Donald Trump describing Iran as the primary threat in the region and accusing former President Barack Obama of giving ground to Iran. The new administration also seeks to take steps to trigger a Sunni-Shiite conflict. In this context, they have been taking steps to render Saudi Arabia a proxy against Iran and mobilize the former into the field in this respect.”