Iran-Saudi Arabia crisis won't turn military confrontation - US Congress expert

The crisis in the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will not lead to military confrontation because such action could affect the homelands of both countries and cause major casualties and economic difficulty, senior analyst at the Congressional Research Service, which conducts research and analysis for the US Congress Kenneth Katzman told Trend.

Following execution of a prominent Shia cleric, Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia some Iranian protesters stormed Saudi embassy in Tehran on Jan. 3, smashing furniture and setting the building on fire before being dispersed by police. The Saudi consulate in the eastern city of Mashhad also was attacked. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response to these attacks.

On Jan. 6 Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said than Saudi Arabia spared no effort to prevent concluding the nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers and continued their efforts to prevent the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) from being implemented after the deal was achieved.

Katzman believes that the crisis in the Saudi Arabian – Iranian relations will not affect lifting of sanctions from Iran because lifting is contingent only on Iran fulfilling nuclear requirements - and not linked to regional developments.

Regarding the impact of the crisis on the oil prices, the expert noted that the oil prices will be only modestly affected because Saudi Arabia will continue producing at high levels to weaken Iran and Russia and drive US shale oil producers out of business.

/By Trend/