Response From Sunni Arabs On The Iran Nuclear Deal Is Universally Negative

Wall Street Journal: Arab Reaction to Iran Nuclear Agreement Reflects Region’s Sharp Divide

Sunnis see the deal as reflecting U.S. weakness, Shiites Iranian ascendancy

An agreement on the outlines of a nuclear deal with Iran, a country deeply involved in the Middle East’s web of bloody conflicts, is unlikely to help defuse the region’s sectarian wars and could even widen fault lines, Arab officials and people across the region say.

For years, limiting Shiite Iran’s nuclear ambitions was at the top of the agenda for the region’s Sunni Arab countries. They now worry an agreement would empower Tehran economically if sanctions relief sets in, and embolden it politically as it emerges as a player on the world stage.

The perception, alone, that Iran would benefit or emerge empowered from a deal could fuel a Sunni backlash and worsen sectarian strife across the region, officials and analysts said.

WNU Editor: President Obama is clearly concerned ... he has invited the Saudis and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to the US to try to convince them on the virtues of this agreement .... but my prediction is that he will fail. The Saudis and their Gulf allies have been very clear on how they feel about these nuclear talks, and what their response will be. My prediction .... we are going to enter a new period of nuclear proliferation.