The erosion of support for Iran in the international community was also a contributing factor. Even countries like Russia and China which have greater political and economic stakes in Iran would not be able to ignore their larger stakes in the Arab world, especially Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh’s recent high profile contacts with countries like India, China and Japan should also be seen in this context. While these countries offer new avenues for Saudi investment, King Abdullah is also saying Iran is not the only long-term strategic partner for Asia, especially in the energy sector.

It was their apprehension over the ambitions of the revolutionaries in Tehran that prompted many neighbouring Arab states to support Saddam Hussein during the prolonged Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Domestic fervour against the US and their inherent military weaknesses inhibit the Arab countries from adopting a sufficiently forceful stand against a possible nuclear Iran.

Neither individually nor collectively are they in a position to articulate their positions. At the same, absence of strong public postures should not be seen as an Arab willingness to live under Persian hegemony, with or without nuclear weapons.

The writer teaches at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
kumaraswamy.pr@gmail.com