Will Saudi Arabia Shift Away From The U.S.?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (R) in Riyadh, November 4, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed

Saudi Hostility To The Iran Nuclear Deal Should Alarm Us More Than Israel's -- Mary Dejevsky, The Guardian

Saudi Arabia feels double-crossed and is determined to contest a resurgent Iran. Could Europe replace the US in Riyadh's affections?

Of the two states most unhappy about the interim agreement with Iran, Israel is generally seen as potentially the more dangerous. This may not be correct. In the longer run, the hostility of Saudi Arabia could present the greater threat to regional stability.

This is not to underestimate Israel's genuine and deeply held fears about the peril that a nuclear-armed Iran would present. How could it feel otherwise, given the extravagant language of Iran's former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and its own still disputed position in the region. For all its fierce rhetoric, though, there are constraints on Israel, including its reliance on the US and the caution of its own military, that may make it less likely to resort to arms against Iran than many outsiders believe. In the end, it could be Saudi Arabia's quieter concern about a resurgent Iran that has cataclysmic consequences.

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Update #1: Is there a crisis in US-Saudi relations? -- Bernard Haykel, Al Jazeera
Update #2: Why the Iran Deal Scares Saudi Arabia -- F. Gregory Gause, The New Yorker

My Comment: Saudi Arabia is a critical strategic ally for the U.S. .... their concerns cannot be ignored by the White House. But if this relationship continues to unravel .... I will expect this to be the next nuclear development in the Middle East.