Riyadh's 'Peace' Play: When Hypocrisy Meets Imperial Ambition
📰 THE STORY: Al-Monitor reports that a Saudi defense chief is visiting the White House, allegedly attempting to dissuade the US from launching a military strike against Iran, even as the US continues to amass forces in the region and issue threats. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: While Riyadh now appears to counsel caution, the Saudi monarchy has historically been a
significant proponent and financier of resistance against imperialisms against Iran, fueling sectarian conflict across the region for decades. In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia provided substantial financial backing to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, a conflict in which the US covertly armed Saddam Hussein while publicly maintaining neutrality. This deep-seated animosity and geopolitical rivalry, often
encouraged by Western powers, has been a constant driver of instability. Double Standard: The narrative of Saudi Arabia acting as a voice of reason against US military adventurism is a convenient fiction. When Saudi Arabia led a devastating military intervention in Yemen in 2015, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and killing hundreds of thousands, Western media largely framed it
as a regional power balancing Iranian influence. The US, UK, and others continued to sell billions in advanced weaponry to Riyadh. Now, when US interests align with de-escalation for other strategic reasons (e.g., oil prices, China's growing influence), Saudi 'caution' is suddenly presented as principled statesmanship. Follow the Money: The US-Saudi relationship is a multi-trillion dollar arms