CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 105

MUSHEGH GHAHRIYAN
On the contrary, after 2003, Iran has changed its policy from confron-
tation to cooperation, because it has major strategic interests in the area. 15
The GCC countries and Iraq were not able to establish a constructive re-
lationship. The Gulf countries considered the prime-minister of Iraq Nou-
ri al-Maliki’s pro-Iranian proxy and were unwilling to deal with him. This
attitude facilitated Iran’s involvement in reconstruction and development
of projects like the new international airport in Najaf, creation of a free
trade zone around Basra. 16
The toppling of Saddam Hussein and the civil war in Iraq changed the
paradigm of regional security. Before 2003 Iraq was in an antagonistic re-
lationship with Iran and Saudi Arabia, but after 2003 the country became
a stage of competition between them. The country has strategic impor-
tance for Iran politically and religiously, as two holy cities of Shia Islam
Najaf and Karbala are located in Iraq. 17 Saudi Arabia had fears that Shii
forces would strengthen their position too much, and it will harm the in-
terests of the Kingdom in the region. 18
Saudi Arabia’s attitude towards the prime minister of Iraq Nou-
ri al-Maliki (2006-2014) was critical. At an international conference in
Egypt King Abdallah refused to meet him. 19 Saudi Arabia accused the
government of al-Maliki in inability of solving sectarian confl ict, oppres-
sion against the Sunni population and increasing infl uence of Iran in Iraq.
However, Riyadh did not close the border with Iraq to support the Sunni
population.
Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad only in 2015. Now, the
decades of estrangement between Iraq and Saudi Arabia seems to close to
end. This rapprochement has started since 2015 and is accelerating. The
turning point was the resignation of Nouri al-Maliki and Haidar al-Aba-
di’s election as the head of the government.
Saudi-Iranian rivalry involves a number of countries in the region. In
Yemen Saudi-led coalition conducts military campaign against Houthi
rebels, who receive military and political assistance from Iran. How-
ever, military operation is not successful enough. Since the start of the
15 Barzegar Kayhan, “Understanding the Roots of Iranian Foreign Policy in the New Iraq,”
Middle East Policy, 12(2), (2005): 49–57, https://www.mepc.org/journal/understand-
16 Kumar Pradhan Prasanta, “The GCC–Iran Confl ict and its Strategic Implications for the Gulf
Region,” Strategic Analysis, 35:2, (2011): 271.
Imran Khan, Why is Iraq so Important to Iran?, Al Jazeera, August 10, 2014, http://blogs.
aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/why-iraq-so-important-iran (accessed April 07, 2018).
Andrew Terill, “The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security,” U.S.
Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (SSI), (2011): 45., http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/
fulltext/u2/a555137.pdf (accessed April 22, 2018).
“Iraq-Saudi Relations Hit New Low,” Middle East Online, May 28, 2009, http://www.mid-
dle-east-online.com/english/?id=32357 (accessed June 9, 2018).
17
18
19
ing-roots-iranian-foreign-policy-new-iraq (accessed May 22, 2018).
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