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Another thing related to the deal that concerned Israel was the relief of the sanctions . Particularly , Israel was afraid that the sanctions ’ relief would contribute to the improvement of Iran ’ s economy . Consequently , it would continue to support Islamist movements ( Hamas , Hezbollah , and Islamic Jihad ). 90 Furthermore , Israel feared the possibility that other Middle Eastern states could also have aspirations to develop nuclear programs . In turn , this could have promoted a nuclear arms race in the region , which would not have been easily prevented . 91
To conclude , Iran , its nuclear program , and its quest for regional hegemony posed a real threat to Saudi Arabia and Israel , thereby making Iran a common enemy for both of them . Hence , this fact hugely contributed to the rapprochement between these two countries regardless of the absence of diplomatic relations .
Saudi-Turkish Relations
Bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkey have always been conditioned by the overall regional situation and have been affected both positively and negatively by events taking place in the Middle East .
Until the mid-1960s , these two countries did not exert any effort to develop bilateral relations due to diverging political systems and goals , foreign policies , attitudes and ideologies . 92 Starting in the late 1960s and 1970s , when “ Islam began to re-emerge as a political force in Turkey in opposition to the country ’ s then military-dominated secular establishment ” Saudi Arabia ’ s non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) started to fund several Turkish Islamist organizations both in Turkey and abroad . 93
The rise of Islamic-based political figures in Turkey also contributed to the development of economic and political ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s . Cordial relations continued in the mid-1990s when , during the Persia Gulf War , they were on the same side against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein . However , relations took a sharp turn for the worse at the end of the 1990s “ as a result of the deterioration
90
Raphael Ahren , “ Battle to thwart Iran nuke deal not over , Foreign Ministry chief vows ,” The Times of Israel , July 13 , 2015 , https :// www . timesofisrael . com / battle-tothwart-the-iran-nuke-deal-is-not-over-foreign-ministry-chief-vows /. 91 Moran Azullay , “ Negotiators reach historic nuclear agreement with Iran ,” Ynetnews , July
14 , 2015 , https :// www . ynetnews . com / articles / 0,7340 , L-4679591,00 . html .
92
Suraj Sharma , “ Turkey and Saudi Arabia : Are tensions lurking behind the smiles ?” Middle East Eye , April 15 , 2016 , https :// www . middleeasteye . net / news / turkey-and-saudiarabia-are-tensions-lurking-behind-smiles .
93
“ The Saudi – Turkish antagonism ,” Strategic Comments 25 , no . 5 ( 2019 ): iv – vi . 22