Faint hope for restoring stability in Iran

Saudi Arabia has expressed its willingness to play a mediating role between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Iran to restore the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the West. This move by Riyadh aims to curb the risk of Tehran pursuing nuclear weapons.

Saudi Arabia has made no secret of its concern about Iran's potential pursuit of nuclear weapons, although Riyadh admits it is rather vague. Saudi Arabia's assessment comes in the context of Tehran's regional proxies – long seen as a deterrent to Israeli attacks – being significantly weakened.

Saudi Arabia hopes to leverage its close relationship with US President Donald Trump to create a diplomatic bridge between Iran and the White House.

It is not yet clear whether Saudi Arabia has made an official proposal. The move shows Riyadh's desire to build on its improved relationship with its "former enemy", Iran, and ensure a place at the negotiating table for a potential new agreement.

The US State Department and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations have not commented on this information. However, the international community views Saudi Arabia's move positively in terms of its potential to restore security and stability in Iran, as well as the entire region.

Explaining Saudi Arabia's concerns, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaeis spoke out in defense of Iran's peaceful nuclear programme in the context of Israel and the US stepping up plans to prevent these programmes.

Baghaeis stated that Tehran's peaceful nuclear programme has been conducted for the past thirty years, based on Iran's legitimate rights as a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Previously, Israel and the US made clear their determination to prevent Iran's nuclear programmes and the influence of Iran in the Middle East.

The statements were made after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem. Netanyahu declared that with the support of the US, Israel will "complete the mission" against Iran.

For his part, Secretary Rubio accused Tehran of being the cause of regional instability.

Responding to what Iran calls Israel's unfounded accusations, Spokesman Baghaeis criticised the call against Tehran made by the Israeli Prime Minister as a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

Meanwhile, the US administration is imposing tough measures to restrain Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently announced plans to tighten sanctions against Tehran to sharply reduce the country’s crude oil exports.

In an interview with Fox Business, Bessent said Iran currently exports about 1.5-1.6 million barrels of oil daily. Washington is committed to bringing this number down to 100,000 barrels, equivalent to a 90% reduction.

This is seen as a continuation of the tough policy that US President Donald Trump implemented during his first term, when the US successfully cut Iran's oil exports from 3 million barrels per day (in 2017) to 400,000 barrels per day (in 2019).

According to the UAE's The National News, President Trump recently signed an internal notice directing the US Treasury Department to apply "maximum pressure" on Iran. Bessent said that with this plan, Iran would face serious economic difficulties.

Right after President Trump's announcement, the US Treasury Department issued sanctions against three Iranian oil tankers.

The pressure campaign began after the US withdrew from the nuclear agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and the P5+1 group (including the UK, USA, Russia, France, China and Germany) in July 2015, and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted previously.

President Trump has repeatedly criticised the JCPOA as a one-sided agreement and insufficient to prevent Tehran's nuclear program.

However, experts say that the US cannot drive down Iran's oil exports to near-zero levels without aiming at intermediaries as well as end-buyers. According to data from the international economic research centre CEIC, Iran's crude oil production was reported at 3.28 million barrels per day in January 2025.

Analysts said that the victims bearing the brunt of economic sanctions are none other than the nearly 90 million people of Iran.

NDO